Driftwood
by punkcatwitissues
Summary: Post Season 3 AU. Gibbs never came back from Mexico. When Abby needs to escape from a stalker there's only one place to go.
1. Chapter One: Margarita Safari

**A/N:** This story has been a very long time coming. The majority was written during Nanowrimo in 2012, but life got complicated and my writing got put aside. Finally back in the swing of things, this story was the perfect place to start.

Currently there are seventeen chapters, about fourteen of which are complete and just need editing. The others are maybe half written, some scenes unfinished and others to be written. The end scene is complete. I may end up adding some content, so the chapter count may go up.

I tell you all this so you can be confident that this story will be finished. I'm going to post once or twice a week (depending on interest and how fast the editing goes) until I run out of complete chapters and hopefully by then I'll be putting the finishing touch on the later chapters.

Oh, and btw, this is Book One of a planned trilogy. The second story focuses on McGee and Ziva, the third on Tony and an OC I'm very excited about.

 **Chapter One: Margarita Safari**

 **Rule #18: It's better to ask forgiveness than to seek permission.**

Gibbs was walking down the beach when he paused. The wood was nearly identical to the sand surrounding and partially burying it, but the smoothness of the grain contrasted with the texture of the beach. Gibbs brushed away the sand and carefully extracted the small twig, brushing the remaining grains off the slightly damp side.

The twig was no more than six inches long and two inches in diameter. He examined it carefully, then tucked it in the pocket of his khakis to add to his pile later.

His collection of driftwood had started simply enough, with a piece washed up on the shore he thought would be fun to whittle into something later on. He placed it on the edge of the deck and promptly forgot about it.

The second piece just caught his eye. The third, he couldn't remember. All he knew was that it had been almost three months and there was now a fairly decent sized pile of driftwood, all shapes and sizes, lying next to the house. He still didn't know what he was going to use it for, and Franks liked to crack jokes about a fun bonfire, but nearly every time he stepped onto the beach he found himself scanning the shore, looking for another piece to add.

Gibbs heard a whistle and turned. Several hundred feet down the shoreline, Franks was waving his arms and motioning for him to come back. He sighed and began walking back towards the house. He paused for a moment when an ocean breeze cooled him from the bright Mexican sunlight. His hair ruffled in the breeze and he closed his eyes, savoring the feeling while the salt in the air made each breath more enjoyable than the last.

It had been nearly three months since he had retired from NCIS and joined Franks in Mexico and he hadn't regretted his decision a single time. The seclusion and isolation of the spot Franks had chosen to build his home gave him time to mediate on his life, to process all he had been through and been forced to relive after his coma.

He almost felt healed.

When he approached the house, he could see Franks talking to Camilla, from the cantina. She usually only came down when someone wanted to talk to one of them on the phone. He wondered who it would be this time. Abby was the only one he'd given the number to, and she had only used it twice, both times pleading with her tone, if not with her words, for him to come home.

Gibbs hadn't had the heart to tell her that it wasn't his home anymore. That was one thing these months had taught him. He'd been forcing himself to live a life that wasn't his anymore for so long. This was where he belonged, this was where he was going to stay.

Camilla smiled widely at him as he approached. "Hello, Signor Gibbs," she greeted him.

He smiled back at her. She was the only woman he had ever met who was that cheerful around Mike Franks. Frankly, Gibbs suspected she either had feelings for his old mentor, or something had happened between them before, but he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't any of his business, and it didn't really matter. Just a thought that popped into his head from time to time.

"You have a visitor," she told him, her smile widening.

Gibbs frowned. A visitor? His first thought was that something was wrong, that he had pissed off one of the locals last time he'd been in town, but if that were true, she wouldn't be smiling like that. But no one from back in DC knew where he was, did they?

From around the corner of the house, a darkly clad person with a familiar black lace parasol walked slowly towards them.

He froze, his heart skipping a beat as he realized who it was.

Abby.

The parasol shaded her face, but he could still see her green eyes sparkling underneath her dark fringe. She hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain, an expression he had rarely seen cross her face. Then as suddenly as it was there, it was gone. She dropped her parasol behind her and flung her arms around him.

"Gibbs!"

He'd seen the hug coming and braced himself, but nothing could have braced him for how amazing it felt to be on the receiving end of one of Abby's impressive hugs after all this time. He felt her fingers clutching onto his shoulders as she held on tighter than her usual Herculean embraces.

He returned the hug with just slightly less force, allowing his arms to wrap around her waist and squeeze her firmly.

She finally loosened her grip, moving back, but leaving her hands on his shoulders, resting lightly. "I missed you," she said simply and honestly, her eyes revealing the shine of happy tears.

"Missed you too, Abs," he murmured. Despite the happy smile that had grown over her face when she had first seen him, there was something there that just wasn't quite right. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Abby," Franks said, patting her on the shoulder.

Abby whirled around and threw her arms around the older man. "Mike!" she exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, poking at her parasol as if it were an insect.

"If the Gibbs won't come see the Abby, the Abby has to come see the Gibbs," she replied, sending warm smiles to both men.

Gibbs rubbed his hand over the beard he'd been growing for the past month. It hadn't really been planned, he'd just stopped bothering to shave in the morning when it occurred to him that he didn't have to anymore. The only person who saw him these days was Franks, and he sure didn't care. "What about work?" he asked Abby after a moment.

She shrugged, twirling her parasol absently. "Do you have any idea how many vacation days I've racked up the past couple of years? Jenny practically pushed me out the door."

"What about your lab?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"I'm starting to think you might not want me around." Abby put her free hand on her hip and made a face at him.

"You ignore him," Franks told her. "He's just a crabby old man. You're welcome here for as long as you like."

Gibbs shot a sideways glance at Franks while Abby laughed. He was the crabby old man?

"The guy that's filling in for me is really good. Sure, he listens to Barry Manilow, but I suppose no one's perfect. At least I know he won't blow anything up while I'm away and he promised to take good care of my babies." Abby explained.

The next thing he knew, Abby and Franks were going over to Camille's vehicle to get her bags and he was left standing on the deck alone. Conflicted, he went inside to grab a beer.

It wasn't that he was unhappy to see Abby, because he wasn't. He really did love Abby, and having her cheerful face around for a few days would be a treat after seeing nothing but Mike Franks' sorry mug all summer. The problem was, this wasn't like Abby.

The Abby he knew could barely bear to be away from her "babies" for a long weekend, let alone a trip out of the country. And she never, ever, let anyone else work in her lab. The last time he's suggested she take a vacation home to see her family she'd nearly had a panic attack at the thought of being so far away. Abby loved her job. Maybe a little too much, but that was Abby.

This didn't feel right.

But all that slipped out of his mind as soon as Abby re-appeared, Bert under one arm and a black rolling suitcase with little white stars all over it. Franks trailed behind her with a smaller, matching bag and to Gibbs amusement, her parasol in his other hand.

Abby dropped her bag and nearly squealed. "This place is amazing! I can't believe you built this whole house yourself, Mike!"

"I had a few local boys help me out here and there," Franks admitted.

"It's still impressive," Abby said, turning around to look at everything. The little black skirt she was wearing twirled outward as she spun. She tugged on the bottom of her shirt and frowned when she saw Gibbs holding a beer, but said nothing.

Instead, she crossed her arms and turned back to Franks. "You're sure I won't be in the way? I don't mind staying in a hotel."

"Nonsense," Franks told her, struggling to close her parasol. "You can take my room and I'll sleep in the hammock. But if it rains, you're on your own."

"Deal." Abby beamed at him, taking pity when Franks nearly knocked over a lamp and closing the parasol herself. "So, what have you been doing, Gibbs? I don't see a boat out there yet," she teased.

Gibbs took a gulp of his beer, still feeling rather stunned to see her. "No boat yet," he murmured. "Looks like I need to make another chair, though."

Abby's eyes fell on the two sturdy chairs off to one side. She rushed over to admire them, and while she oohed and ahhed, Gibbs glanced over at Franks.

His mentor nodded at Gibbs' silent question. He'd noticed it too, Abby didn't quite seem herself. Sure, she was smiling all over the place and talking a mile a minute, but something was definitely hinky.

His first instinct was to be annoyed that his solitude had been invaded. Gibbs had made a very conscious decision when he'd retired and come to Mexico, and he hadn't been quiet about his desire for privacy. Abby had seemed to understand when they'd finally talked. She hadn't like it, but she'd understood.

Or at least he'd thought so at the time.

But whatever his instincts were, he couldn't be angry for long at the cheerful Goth in front of him. Abby seemed to always have that effect on him. No matter how angry he was, how cranky, she would say something or give him a look that made his irritation just melt away.

Abby insisted that she didn't want to disrupt their routine too much, and she climbed into Franks' hammock with a thick hardcover mystery. And except for when she let out groans or little annoyed clicks of her tongue at the inevitable forensic inaccuracies, she was pretty quiet for the rest of the day.

But her silence spoke far louder than her lack of words.

xxx

Abby's brain was going a million miles an hour as she lay in the hammock. She thought Gibbs looked happy, which was most important. She hadn't thought he would turn her away if she showed up, but she had still been afraid.

When things had begun escalating the month before, Abby hadn't hesitated to put most of her belongings in storage. She didn't feel safe in her apartment anymore, so she moved out.

Into Gibbs house. She wasn't surprised to find that he didn't lock his door even when leaving the country and she hadn't taken much with her, not much more than she had in the bag she checked at the airport. Just clothes and toiletries mostly. She slept in Gibbs bed at night, finding it ironic that it smelled like him, despite the fact that she knew he spent most nights on the sofa in the living room.

She locked the door when she was there. A locked door and Gibbs' house, that was all she needed to feel safe.

But she had missed him so much. She went to work every day and played her music, used her machines, but it didn't feel right anymore. Not without Gibbs.

She needed Gibbs.

She'd felt strangely calm when she purchased the ticket that would take her to him. She had hummed and sang as she packed her bags and tucked Bert on top of her carry on for the plane. But somewhere between boarding the plane and the short layover in Los Angeles, several thousand butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach.

She worried all the way to Tijuana, through the bus ride to San Quintin, and through the very expensive cab ride to El Rosario. By the time her very kind cab driver had dropped her off in front of the cantina her stomach was in knots.

Camilla was as sweet in person as she had been over the phone. She'd fixed Abby a quick quesedilla and a cup of tea before driving her to Frank's house. She'd still been nervous, but the butterflies were manageable for the ride.

When Abby first saw Gibbs, she wanted to laugh and cry all at the same time. He was all scruffy, a salt and pepper beard, his hair hanging over his ears, a Hawaiian looking shirt that matched his eyes and no shoes beneath his jeans. He looked perfect and different and the same all at once.

"You all right?"

Abby started as Franks voice came from behind her. The hammock swayed sharply as she tried to keep her balance. "You scared me!" she accused, frowning up at the man above her.

"Sorry." Franks didn't look particularly sorry actually. "Just thought I'd see if you needed a drink, but you looked upset."

"Oh." Abby was a little surprised at the offer. Franks was looking down at her with what she could only describe as suspicion in his eyes. "Don't be silly, I was just thinking."

"Hrmmph. About Gibbs?" Franks questioned, actually winking at her, the old curmudgeon.

"About the ocean," Abby told Franks, rolling her eyes. "It's been a long time since I've seen the ocean. It smells the same. Like salt."

"The salt goes better with Tequila," Franks remarked. "But all we've got left is water and Beer. Whatcha want?"

"Water would be fine," Abby said, using her foot to keep the hammock swaying gently. "You don't have to get it for me though, I can get it myself."

Franks harrumphed again. "You just stay there," he told her, disappearing into the house.

Well that was weird, Abby thought, frowning after him. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the waves hitting the beach.

She'd been expecting a shack, but the house Mike Franks built was actually pretty nice. The worn plaid couch made her smile. It looked just like the couch in Gibbs house. She had been willing to bet that was where he slept, and when she'd stepped closer and peered over the side sure enough there was a pillow and folded up blanket on one side.

There was a table and the two handmade chairs by the kitchen as well as a rough bookcase filled with worn paperbacks. She'd run her fingertips over the spines and smiled. Mostly military thrillers and spy stories. Man books. A copy of Moby Dick. A few non-fiction tomes on wiring and plumbing.

She accepted the bottle of water Franks was holding out to her and took a long sip. He stared at her for a moment, then turned and disappeared back into the house. She tried not to feel too nervous by the curious expression on his face. There was no way Franks could know why she was here.

Abby knew she was running away. That had never even been a question about that in her mind, she was running away.

After Gibbs left, Abby felt so lost. She just didn't know what to do. Gibbs had been the person she turned to when she had a problem for so long that she just didn't know who else to turn to.

After he gave her the number to the cantina, Abby called him when he'd told her Camille would already be delivering supplies to Franks. And both times she intended to tell him what was going on.

And both times she chickened out in the end. How could she tell Gibbs what a mess she had made of her life? It just seemed so petty after just recently learning what he'd been through himself. Gibbs had lost his wife and his daughter. Surely Abby could suck it up and deal with an annoying ex-boyfriend.

Abby sighed, staring off into the distance. As the sun moved lower in the sky, she stopped pretending to read the book she'd bought in Los Angeles and closed her eyes.

xxx

"You were right, Probie," Franks told him, taking a long swig out of the brown beer bottle in his hand. "That girl is running from something."

This was one time Gibbs was not pleased to have been right. Sure, he understood the sentiment, he'd have been a fool as well as a hypocrite not to, but he cared about Abby and didn't want to think of her having a problem she needed to run away from.

"Yeah, I know," Gibbs murmured.

Abby was currently outside, curled up into a little ball on the striped hammock that Franks liked to lounge in. She had apparently dozed off, a hardcover book hugged to her chest.

Gibbs went to take a swig of his own beer and realized the bottle was empty. He stared at it for a few seconds and turned to grab another one. Now was definitely not the time to temper his drinking habits.

Franks silently settled himself down on the couch. It was around time for his usual afternoon 'siesta' which he usually took in the hammock, but it was currently occupied.

Gibbs took his fresh beer out onto the beach. He had spent many an hour during the past few months staring out at the ocean, drinking a beer and trying to figure things out.

Waking up from that last coma had been a strange experience for Gibbs. Getting his memory back was even stranger. Suddenly he knew full well he had mourned Kelly and Shannon for the past 15 years, that he had remarried 3 times, but it still felt like just yesterday he had received the news that they were dead.

It was like losing them all over again.

Took most of the summer for Gibbs to feel like he was in control of his emotions again. He was unsure if it was the presence of his mentor or simply the peace of Mexican beach that helped him through. It didn't really matter, all the mattered was that it had worked.

As the sun lowered itself on the horizon, Gibbs turned to watch Abby as she slumbered. He probably should have expected her to come after him, but he hadn't.

Abby never had done what he expected. Not from the moment he met her. It was one of the things that he liked best about her, her spontaneity.

Today he liked it a little less.

Gibbs sighed and took the last sip of his beer. It was pointless to push, Abby would tell him what was going on in her own time.

She was like him that way.

xxx

Franks rousted Abby out of the hammock shortly before handing her a plate of food and telling her not to expect it every night. Abby simply smiled and accepted the food, kissing Franks on the cheek and heading inside to eat.

She was still exhausted, despite her long nap, so Abby headed off to bed shortly after dinner. She still felt strange kicking Franks out of his bed, but he insisted, so she acquiesced.

His bedroom was spartan but comfortable. There was a bench in the corner and its sole purpose appeared to be for throwing clothes over, which made her grin. She was willing to bet real money that half those clothes were on the floor before she arrived. It was sweet that Mike tried to neaten up for her.

She didn't expect it. She knew she was entering the world of two fairly confirmed bachelors. She remembered what Luca's room had looked like growing up, and it hadn't been pretty.

She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her smaller suitcase up in front of her on the bed. She hadn't really paid much attention when she was packing, just shoved random things in the two first bags she saw.

Unzipping the top of the bag, Abby was pleased to see a pair of pajama pants within easy reach. That was convenient. Now if only she was sure she had remembered a toothbrush. If she hadn't, she would walk back to town tomorrow if necessary to get one. There was no way either Gibbs or Franks had an extra, and she knew far too much about germs to even consider sharing.

She almost let out a triumphant shout when she encountered her toothbrush tucked in one of the side pockets. There was a baggy black t-shirt to wear with her pajama pants and she'd seen a tube of toothpaste in the bathroom when she'd peed earlier, so she was all set.

Abby quickly changed into her pajamas. The pants were a little snug, but the shirt was baggy enough so she let them hang low on her hips. A brief trip to the bathroom and she was ready for bed. She pulled the blanket back and slid between the sheets. Aww, Franks had even changed the sheets for her. He really was a sweetheart, not that he wanted anyone to know.

She took a deep breath before turning out the light. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered softly in the dark, rubbing one hand over the small bump at her midsection. "Gibbs is gonna keep us safe."

* * *

 _This story means a lot to me so please let me know_ _what you think!_


	2. Chapter Two: Siesta, Abby-Style

**Chapter Two: Siesta, Abby-Style**

 **Rule #36: If you think you're being played, you probably are.**

Gibbs was reading by the dim light of a small, tableside lamp when Abby appeared in the doorway of the room. She hesitated, twisting the bottom of her baggy black t-shirt in her hands. She had on purple pajama pants with hippos on them that looked amusingly just like Bert.

"Can't sleep?"

She shook her head. "I keep having weird dreams."

Gibbs set his book down on the table and patted the couch cushion beside him. Abby responded to his invitation, pausing to steal the red hoodie he left draped over the back of the couch. After she pulled the hoodie on, she curled up beside him and gave him a less than enthusiastic smile.

"I didn't know it got cold in Mexico," she said.

"Ocean breeze," Gibbs told her by way of explanation. "Plus hurricane season is coming in a few weeks."

"Oh."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the ocean crashing on the beach through an open window.

"You gonna tell me why you're really here?" Gibbs asked.

Abby looked momentarily stricken. "I told you," she said slowly. "I just needed a vacation."

Gibbs tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Okay." Abby sighed. "Even I thought that sounded like a lie. It's kind of a long story."

"Don't have anywhere else to be, Abbs," he told her gently.

She leaned her head against the back of the couch. "You remember that guy I was dating last year, Mikel?"

"The one you met in the cemetery?"

She cringed. "Guess that should have been a warning sign, huh? Anyway, we'd been dating on and off since then. Mikel was a lot of fun, well, when he was taking his meds anyway."

"Meds?" Gibbs asked, repressing a growl.

"Yeah, he's bipolar."

Gibbs let out a grunt, several not so nice thoughts going through his head.

"Don't be that way Gibbs," Abby lectured him. "It's not fair to be prejudiced against the mentally ill. A lot of really great people out there struggle with things like bipolar disorder."

Feeling thoroughly chastised, Gibbs nodded for her to go on.

"Anyway, about six months ago he started acting weird. He was getting possessive, but I kept brushing it off because other than that we were actually doing really well together. I was happy." Abby shrugged. "I was being dumb, but I was happy."

Gibbs didn't bother telling her she wasn't dumb, she knew it as well as he does. She was just feeling dumb when she looked back.

Abby sighed. "Then one day, a couple weeks before you left, someone slashed my tires. The police couldn't find any clues and I was really freaked out so I stayed with Mikel for a couple days. He got really upset when I said I was going home, but I thought he just liked having me around."

Gibbs was beginning to see where all this was going, but he didn't interrupt her. Abby obviously needed to get it out, so he held back the part of him that just wanted to demand she give him this guys address so he could go beat the pulp out of him. Preferably with a baseball bat.

Abby continued her story. "Two days later, someone broke into my apartment and stole my mail. I probably wouldn't have figured it out that fast if he hadn't been dumb enough to pay my phone bill."

"Mikel?" Gibbs asked, wanting to clarify, although he was already pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Yeah." She shook her head. "I felt so stupid. Here I was thinking he's this really great guy and he's practically stalking me. So I broke things off and got a restraining order."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Because I wanted him restrained, Gibbs, not beaten to a pulp with a baseball bat."

Gibbs couldn't help smiling at her. She knew him far too well. "Haven't changed your mind, have you?"

"No!" Abby crossed her arms. "I just didn't feel safe anymore, even in my apartment, you know? I needed to get away."

"You could have stayed at my house," Gibbs told her.

"I know." She gave him a half smile. "I did." She covered her mouth as a yawn slipped out.

While Gibbs was pleased that Abby felt comfortable enough to stay in his house, he didn't like the idea that there was some psycho kid running loose who could get into her apartment. He was happy that Abby was there in Mexico, but she shouldn't feel like she had to be there.

"How much time did Jenny give you off?" He asked finally, not knowing what else to say.

Abby's eyes were drooping. "I've barely used any vacation days in six years. Do the math."

Gibbs let himself smile a little since Abby's eyes were now closed and she couldn't see him. He was not unpleased to hear that she could stay for awhile. Of all the things he

had left behind to come here, Abby was what he missed the most.

She was completely asleep now, head drooping on his shoulder. Gibbs slid his arm around her shoulder and held her for awhile, thinking about what she'd confided in him that night. He could do the math all right. He'd left just when Abby really needed him the most.

She should have told him. She should have let him help her. Sure, he wanted to beat the crap out of this Mikel kid, but if she'd asked him not to, he wouldn't have. Or at least he would have figured out how to not leave any marks. She shouldn't have had to go through all this. Not alone especially, but really not at all.

Gibbs sighed. His choice to go to Mexico had been completely selfish, and he hadn't regretted it at all until now. If it hadn't been for that one selfish impulse he would have been there for her when she needed him.

Gibbs slid his other arm under Abby's knees and slowly stood, cradling her in his arms. His back and knees only complained a little with the effort. He carried her into the bedroom and gently lay her down on the bed. Pulling the covers over her, he stepped back and watched her sleep.

xxx

Abby woke to the sound of Gibbs and Mike bickering outside. She lay in bed for a minute, snuggling under the covers with Bert. Apparently Gibbs was using 'all his good wood' to fix Mike's 'crappy roof' and Mike liked his crappy roof just fine. She wished everyone back at NCIS could hear it, they'd be laughing their butts off. It was like listening to Tony and McGee in about twenty years.

She didn't remember going back to bed after confessing some of her secrets to Gibbs, so she figured he must have carried her to her room. She wrinkled her nose and hoped he hadn't put his back out. After all, she'd gained more than ten pounds since she'd last seen him. Which reminded her of another secret she hadn't yet confessed to him.

It wasn't that she was intentionally keeping things from him. She really planned to tell Gibbs, but she just couldn't drop everything on him at once. Besides, she didn't exactly have any experience with telling people she was pregnant. The only people who knew back home were her midwife, her brother Luka, and the director. And she'd only told Jenny because she had to. She wasn't taking a vacation like Gibbs thought, this was maternity leave. After reading a few books on pregnancy and babies she had freaked herself out royally. Maybe hanging around all those chemicals and dangerous substances wouldn't hurt the baby, but she sure as hell wasn't sticking around any longer to find out.

So the man she'd helped Jenny hire was basically her replacement. That had been weird. Abby liked him a lot, though. He had terrible taste in music, but she supposed no one could be perfect. He had good references, and he knew the job. She felt about ninety eight percent secure leaving her 'babies' in his hands. She left before Jenny could hire him an assistant. After the Chip debacle, she didn't want to touch that task with a long stick.

Deciding that it was pointless to delay getting out of bed, Abby cautiously sat up and put her feet on the floor. She'd experienced some minor morning sickness the previous month, but it seemed to have gone away just as fast as it had come on. She'd read in one of her books not to get up too fast in the morning and she wasn't risking it anymore. Nausea was no fun, no fun at all.

She dug in her carry on bag and grabbed her Kindle and a box of tea bags. She'd been the lucky girl who got to have her bags emptied out and searched at the airport, and the guy who searched her bag literally had the bomb sniffing dog sniff her box of tea. She'd almost rolled her eyes and said that it wasn't cannabis tea, but she didn't want to have to wait for the DRUG sniffing dog to come, so she kept her big mouth shut.

With any luck, Gibbs wouldn't question the tea. She'd gone off caffeine in the past, although never quite this long and with questionable results. She was actually getting used to the tea. Put enough sugar in anything and it tasted pretty good. Sure, her midwife had said caffeine was fine in moderation, but Abby wasn't exactly known for moderate use of her caffeinated beverages.

She wasn't surprised to find a small kettle on the stove. Abby knew for a fact Gibbs enjoyed drinking tea at night, although she'd been sworn to secrecy the one time she caught him at it.

While the water heated, Abby searched out a mug and managed to find a small container of sugar in one of the cupboards. While her tea steeped she put two slices of bread in the toaster. A search for butter turned up nothing but she did find a jar of grape jam. That would have to do.

A toasted jelly sandwich in one hand and her tea in the other, Abby made her way outside to the porch. Mike offered her the hammock, but she declined.

"Maybe when I don't have a hot beverage to dump all over myself," she joked, sitting indian style on the porch next to him. "Where's Gibbs?"

"Said something about needing a little time away from me," the older man grumbled. The glint in his eye revealed that he knew exactly why Gibbs needed a break, and was proud of it.

"Ready to admit defeat and share the bed with me?" Abby asked a few minutes later, referring to her offer the night before.

Mike laughed. "Maybe about twenty years ago." He winked at her.

She sighed. "I'm just going to worry about you until you give in," she warned him.

"Tell you what," Mike said finally. "If I change my mind I'll kick Gibbs off the couch. That work for you, princess?"

"Only if you promise to never call me princess again." She hid the smile behind her mug.

"Deal."

Mike leaned back in his hammock and Abby enjoyed her jelly toast and tea while watching the waves crash up on the shore. The ocean was blue and the sky was full of fluffy white clouds. The day couldn't have been more beautiful. The soft breeze, the scent of the salty ocean, she could get used to this. She scooted back and leaned against the house, closing her eyes.

"Franks teaching you the meaning of 'siesta' already?"

Abby opened her eyes to find Gibbs standing in the sand in front of her, an amused look on his face. She glanced over at Mike, who was snoring softly in the hammock. She couldn't help but smile. "I guess he is," she replied. "Where've you been?"

"Took a walk." Gibbs sat on the edge of the porch. "You sleep all right?"

"Yup." Abby smiled. "You the one who tucked me in?"

"Yup." Gibbs smiled back at her.

She brushed the leftover crumbs from her toast off her hands. "I'm going to have to buy some groceries if I'm going to be eating your food."

"If you want to do any shopping you'll have to get Mike to fix the truck first."

Abby narrowed her eyes. "Get Mike to fix the truck? Is that a challenge?"

He raised one eyebrow.

She sighed and pushed herself to her feet. "I suppose I have to do everything around here," she said, feigning annoyance.

"Probably easier than trying to wake him up."

"He got tools or should I practice my telekinesis?"

"There's a box on the other side of the house."

Abby liked working on cars. It reminded her of her youth living by the junkyard, trying to figure out what happened to the wrecks that were dumped there. It was like a puzzle she had to figure out. Maybe that was why people liked jigsaw puzzles, she mused as she popped the hood. It didn't take her long to coax the truck into starting. She hadn't even had to hot wire it, Mike left the keys in the ignition. The loud motor, plus the fact that it backfired three times, woke Mike up.

He came grumbling around the side of the house. "You'd better not have been messing with my truck!" he yelled.

Abby just laughed.

xxx

Gibbs followed Franks and Abby to the city for their errands, more to make sure they didn't kill each other in the process than because he wanted to go.

He'd actually been hoping to finish the roof that day, but according to the radio weather report they'd heard in the truck (for some reason the damn radio never seemed to break) it wasn't supposed to rain tonight so he supposed he could finish it the next day.

Franks immediately wandered off as soon as they got there, muttering something about cigars and women (Gibbs supposed that the women must sell the cigars since he had heard enough of Frank's ramblings to know he'd written off women almost completely).

Abby followed him into the cantina where he settled on a stool. She gave him a loud kiss on the cheek, telling him she was fine, before wandering off to do her shopping.

Ramon, the day bartender, whistled under his breath as Abby walked away. Gibbs couldn't really blame him, most men in America didn't know what to make of Abby either.

"That's some women," Ramon remarked, still drying a glass.

Gibbs grunted. Abby was wearing a typical pair of black cargo pants with a black skeleton t-shirt and a black zip up hoodie. Her platform boots raised her at least four inches taller and she wore spiked cuffs with her matching choker. With her usual pigtails and bright red lipstick, she was just Abby. What else could he say?

He told Ramon the name of the beer he'd discovered he liked best during the past three months and countless trips to the cantina. That was one thing he liked best about Mexico, if there was an hour that wasn't acceptable for drinking, no one talked about it and Gibbs didn't know.

Gibbs sipped his beer and watched a muted Mexican league soccer match on the fuzzy television behind the counter. Franks might not have had a TV at his place, but Gibbs had probably watched more television in Mexico than he had back home, just from hanging out there.

Two beers later, Abby had popped back into the cantina three times and abandoned twice as many bags at Gibbs' feet. She'd probably told him what was in them, but all Gibbs had really noticed was the light in her eyes she hadn't had the day before. She seemed to get more beautiful as the day went on, something Ramon also seemed to notice, to Gibbs displeasure.

Not that he was jealous, mind you, because he wasn't, it was just that he'd spent enough time around Ramon to know he wasn't the kind of guy you wanted dating a girl you cared about. He was more the love 'em and leave 'em, notch on his bedpost kind.

Abby deserved better.

Especially after that last mouth breather she'd dated. Gibbs felt rage building up inside of him just thinking of Mikel. How dare he mistreat Abby. Gibbs knew Abby had dated some losers in her time, but surely this guy took the cake.

Where the hell had DiNozzo and McGee been? They should have been watching her back! Why didn't McGee have something on his computer that alerted him to this, Gibbs wondered. When he went back to sell his house he'd have to speak to them about this. It was absolutely unacceptable that Abby had been able to take out a restraining order against a guy who was stalking her for God's sake, without either of them knowing about it.

They should have protected her.

Abby shouldn't have had to run away to Mexico. Oh sure, she could call it a vacation all she wanted, but Gibbs wasn't stupid. He knew better. He of all people could tell when someone was running away from their problems.

(Not that he'd ever done that of course.)

Abby was special. Not just because she dressed and acted different from other women, it was so much more than that. She had the biggest heart of any other person he'd ever met. And he suspected that no one would ever know about most of the good deeds she did, just because she was too humble to talk about it to anyone.

Abby bounced back into the cantina and slid onto the stool next to Gibbs. She plonked a bag of round green things in front of him on the counter, perilously close to his half full beer.

"What exactly are those?" he asked, moving his beer to a safer distance.

"Avacados!" Abby exclaimed, a giant smile on her face. "I got lost looking for the market and I met this sweet older lady who was outside gardening and we got to talking…"

Gibbs couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Abby, she could make a friend in a paper bag.

"…and she said I could take all the ripe avocados that had fallen on the ground off her tree because she didn't have time to use them all. Isn't that so sweet?"

"That would be Senora Fuentes." Ramon, having overheard Abby's excited chatter, joined them. "Her avocado tree produces more avocados every season than my mother's entire grove produced in the same time. My father used to say she must be part witch and be casting some kind of spell to get so much fruit."

"Well, I don't care what she is," Abby declared. "All I know is we are having guacamole tonight!"

Is guacamole green?" Gibbs quipped, knowing Abby would rise to the bait.

Her eyes widened, predictably. "You've never had guacamole, Gibbs? You have got to come out from under that rock you've been living under! Avocados are so yummy, chock full of good fats that keep your brain healthy. You should be eating more of them if you want to stave off dementia in your old age," she teased.

"Don't be silly, Senorita," Ramon declared, flirting outrageously with her. "Senor Gibbs is already far beyond repair. You'd be much better off taking care of a young man like me."

Just about when Gibbs was debating the sensibleness of breaking the hand that brought him beer, Abby spoke up.

"I'm sure you have quite enough women taking care of your 'needs'." She raised her eyebrows. "But if I promise you an avocado do you suppose I could get an iced tea?"

"Anything for Senor Gibbs beautiful friend," Ramon told her, winking as he turned to fix her drink.

Gibbs nearly growled, with made Abby laugh. "And to think," she said, taking a sip of the iced tea Ramon placed in front of her with a flourish, "I was afraid you might have changed down here."

"Changed?" Franks snorted, appearing behind them suddenly, empty handed. "I've never met a man more set in his ways."

"I have," Abby said with a wink.

xxx

After Franks helped her find the open air market she had been looking for so she could acquire the rest of the supplies for guacamole (as well as some yummy homemade tortillas), the trio drove back to Franks' little cottage on the beach. She'd had the time of her life strolling around the tiny town and seeing the various wares for sale.

Abby tried not to look too happy when Franks told them he'd gotten 'distracted' on his way to buy cigars. Normally she wouldn't care, but she'd also read plenty of scary things in her books about secondhand smoke too.

How exactly he had gotten 'distracted' remained a mystery. Abby suspected the older man wasn't nearly as done with women as he'd led them to believe. Which explained why other than his trip to see Gibbs, Franks hadn't been out of Mexico in nearly a decade.

Leaving the guacamole supplies in the kitchen, Abby carried the rest of her purchases to the bedroom. Luckily, Gibbs hadn't payed enough attention to the items she showed him to notice the ones she hadn't.

While looking at the clothing one woman was selling on a table in front of her home, she'd been delighted to find a set of the traditional embroidered cotton blouse and skirt sets she kept seeing women wearing, only in black. She was figuring out exactly how much to pay the woman when she spotted a pale yellow blanket, knitted out of the thinnest yarn she had ever seen. The woman caught her looking at it and brought it over to her. Between Abby's rudimentary Spanish and the woman's halting English, they came to an agreement on a price for both items and Abby tucked the blanket carefully between the skirt and blouse, knowing it would never even occur to Gibbs to peek inside the bag.

Abby sat on the bed and pulled the blanket out, slowly stroking the pale threads. She'd become an expert at avoiding any outward signs of her pregnancy, but she couldn't turn off her brain.

She was going to have a baby. The idea still wowed her, even while thoughts of it's father terrified her. Thoughts of Mikel as a father were far more frightening than the worst labor and childbirth horror stories. As much as she didn't want to think about it, Mikel was going to be a parent too.

It was against everything Abby believed in to keep a child away from its father. Yet, her protective instincts had already kicked in enough to know that she could never trust Mikel with a baby.

I'm sorry, she said silently, staring down at her stomach. You deserve a daddy but your daddy doesn't deserve you.

A/N: A very special thanks to all my reviewers! I had just convinced myself that no one was liking this story when the first couple came in. I'd forgotten how nerve wracking it was to publish a new story! I'm participating in Nano Camp in July with the goal of finishing the last few parts of this story and the revisions, so updates should continue coming regularly. :)

I'll see everyone back here next week when Gibbs finally finds out the rest of what Abby's been hiding from him. (and if you get a chance I'd love to hear what you thought of this chapter!)


	3. Chapter Three: Small Bumps

**A/N:** According to my research, the Kindle was launched in November of 2007, about a year after this story is supposed to be taking place. I choose to believe that Abby is friends with someone in the know and got ahold of a prototype. :)

 **Chapter Three: Small Bumps**

 **Rule #6: Never say you're sorry, it's a sign of weakness.**

Gibbs had to admit the guacamole was good. Diane had attempted to get him to try it more than once, but the green goop had been off putting. However, when Abby placed the bowl in front of him and Franks, looking so proud of herself, he hadn't had the heart to say no.

He knew Abby had made a big old softie out of him, although he'd have head slapped the first person who was dumb enough to say it to his face. There was just something about Abby that made him want to make her happy.

As the evening grew cooler, she'd appropriated his red hooded sweatshirt again, and he had to admit it looked far better on her than it ever had on him.

He did find it a little curious that she declined having a beer with them, but between all the tea she was drinking and the avocados, he figured she was just on some kind of health food kick. Hopefully it wouldn't last too long or lead her to complain about his and Franks' eating habits.

So far so good, he thought as Franks fired up the grill for some burgers. He wasn't sure if Abby considered herself a vegetarian or not, but he'd never seen her eat meat in the years he'd known her. She got really irritated when people who called themselves vegetarians ate chicken, but it didn't seem to mind her if everyone else around her was a raging carnivore.

Good thing too, since him and Franks ate about half meat these days.

In fact, as he tended to the burgers, he caught sight of a strange expression on Abby's face. Almost as if she wanted one. He thought about asking, but Abby knew all she had to do was ask if she wanted anything. If she wasn't going to say anything, neither was he.

Gibbs watched her out of the corner of his eye for awhile longer. She was staring at those burgers like they were the last scrap of food on earth and she hadn't already consumed half her body weight in guacamole and tortillas earlier.

Their eyes met when he was flipping the burgers onto separate plates for him and Franks, and she turned bright pink, stammering that she was going to go for a walk.

He watched her figure grow smaller and smaller as she walked down the beach until she was nearly invisible. He jumped a little when Franks kicked the door open, holding a beer in each hand and a bottle of ketchup tucked under one arm.

"So, when you gonna snap up that sweet young thing before she comes to her senses," Franks asked, using the bottle opener attached to the side of the house to open both beers, letting the caps fall unheeded to the deck.

"I'm too old for her," Gibbs murmured.

Franks snorted. "Is that all you got, Gunny? I didn't realize you were that big of a fool."

The truth was, Gibbs had been thinking about Abby a lot lately, even before she'd shown up on their doorstep like a lost puppy.

Maybe it started with Chip. He'd been amused at her first reactions to having an assistant. The fact that she'd immediately turned to him for help had solidified their unusual bond.

He could admit, at least to himself, that he'd had some confusing feelings for Abby since then. They'd always flirted, no big deal, it was just how they communicated with each other. But after she'd hog tied Chip with duct tape, something had changed.

Gibbs had denied it to himself for months, instead focusing on the fact that Jenny was back in his life after years apart. Kind of similar to how he'd hid how much he missed Shannon by trying to recreate their relationship. Of course, all he'd gotten out of that was a reputation as a serial husband. One he'd deserved, but he didn't have to like it.

Abby was a special person in his life, that was never up for discussion. But somewhere between Kate's death and his coma, his feelings for her had turned from semi paternal to something much deeper.

She was easily one of the closest friends he'd had the past several years, and he didn't want to do anything to mess with that. He'd thought maybe his feelings would have waned some while he was away from her, but in fact the opposite had happened.

Franks was still staring at him, waiting for some kind of an answer. "It's complicated, Mike," Gibbs said finally.

Franks snorted again. "Life is complicated, Gunny, but we don't all go lay down in a grave and stop living."

Gibbs wasn't sure that analogy made any kind of sense, but he understood the sentiment. He was actually surprised by the depth of Franks' statement, being a fellow serial husband.

"Shit or get off the pot, Probie," Franks told him, taking a large bite of his burger.

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh. Now that was the kind of wisdom he expected from his old mentor.

xxx

Abby had a bad feeling this baby was a carnivore. Her embarrassing reaction to Gibb's burger the seemed to set it in stone. It had been almost a week since that incident. Abby had nearly convinced herself that it was a fluke until that morning when she woke up to the smell of bacon.

Abby hadn't eaten any meat since she was fourteen years old. She hadn't set out to become a vegetarian, it was just something that had happened naturally. She'd had a friend whose family had chickens, and the first time they'd told her the chicken they were eating for dinner was the one she'd been playing with the week before, she'd nearly thrown up. That was when it had all begun.

She didn't blame or resent other people for eating meat, it just wasn't something she wanted to do herself. She hadn't wavered from that decision until now.

Abby tiptoed outside the bedroom, peering around for Gibbs and Franks. She'd heard the men outside on the deck, ran into the kitchen, and grabbed three strips of bacon off the plate they'd left next to the stove. Running back into the bedroom, she'd devoured them like a starving wildebeest.

It had tasted so good, and so bad all at the same time. "What are you doing to me?" she whispered at her stomach. "What's next, a taste for human flesh?"

Maybe she was being a little melodramatic, but this was just one item in a long list of reasons her body was no longer her own. Abby was still getting used to it all, and she still had five months left to go.

Abby threw on her new embroidered cotton blouse and skirt on a whim, decided it was cold, and added Gibbs red hoodie (that she was seriously considering never giving back). Not her best look, but the air was still nippy out and she wanted to stay warm.

She grabbed her toiletries bag and ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and tame her hair as quick as possible. The bathroom was about the only part of the house she could complain about. With two men using it and rarely cleaning it, it was getting icky. She made a mental note to find or buy some bleach in the near future.

She considered skipping makeup, but ended up with mascara and lip balm in the end. It made her feel pretty, and she didn't need to see anyone to feel pretty. A brief consideration of shoes was ditched, and she scurried outside.

"Going for a walk!" she called over her shoulder before either Gibbs or Franks could ask where she was going. Today she took off in the opposite direction of her previous walks for variety.

Once she was out of sight, Abby slowed down a bit and shoved her hands into the hoodie's kangaroo pocket. She felt her new Blackberry inside and for the heck of it, decided to see if she had any bars.

She laughed at the lack of reception. Yeah, it was a long shot. Probably Gibbs favorite part of living here.

Despite the clouds, the sun was out behind them and the day was slowly beginning to warm up. She considered taking off the sweatshirt, but was feeling too cozy. She walked a little further and was surprised to see a large house with tall adobe walls in the distance.

On yesterday's walk, Abby had seen a couple houses that looked similar to Franks' on and near the beach, but this house was gigantic in comparison. As she got closer, she wondered who lived in the 'palace'.

She stood in the sand and stared up at the house. The second story was still visible over the walls and she noticed movement behind the white curtains of one of the rooms. She watched for a few minutes and thought she caught a glimpse of someone peering out between the curtains, but wasn't quite sure.

Abby checked her phone, which she hadn't turned off yet, for the time and discovered she'd been walking for nearly an hour. Time to start walking back. Just for the heck of it, she checked for a wifi signal and was delighted to find a strong unsecured signal. She'd definitely be back this way with her laptop to check her email, maybe tomorrow.

She turned off her phone and started walking back towards Franks' house. After about ten minutes it was officially too warm for a sweatshirt, so she pulled the hoodie off and tied it around her waist.

The clouds got heavier and began sprinkling rain. Abby began walking faster, but within a few minutes the rain was pouring down. She gave up and accepted that she would be soaked.

Just as fast as the rain showed up, it was gone, leaving Abby feeling like a drowned dog. Her pigtails were dripping down her back and her new outfit was plastered to her like a second skin.

Tugging on the blouse, Abby rolled her eyes at the very obvious baby bump she was sporting. Oh yeah, that was real subtle. She'd never hated her skinny build so much in her whole life.

Since she really didn't want to spring the news on Gibbs like this, she decided to take a little damp siesta there on the beach.

She spread the surprisingly dry sweatshirt on the sand and sat herself down on it. She didn't bother to check her phone, it was probably dead. Since it didn't work much down here anyway, it didn't matter. She'd just wait until she got back to the states to pick up a new one.

She leaned back on her elbows and had nearly dozed off when she heard a scuffling sound and felt a shadow overcome her.

She squinted up to find a very perplexed looking Gibbs standing over her.

Crap.

xxx

Abby had been gone for about an hour when Gibbs decided to go after her. She didn't know the area really well and it made him nervous to think of her getting lost. Plus they'd just had a ten minute downpour and she was probably wet and irritated.

He grabbed a beach towel from the house and set off down the beach. It didn't take him long to see a dark figure in the distance. It looked like she was sitting down, which made him frown. Why wasn't she coming back to get dry?

As he got closer, he started to get a funny feeling in his gut. Something was different about Abby. He couldn't quite put his finger on it until…

She was pregnant.

He froze for a moment, trying to absorb the startling news. Abby was pregnant. Abby was going to have a baby.

And she hadn't told him.

Why hadn't she told him? Why was she keeping this a secret from him, Gibbs wondered. He swallowed a growl in his throat when he remembered the talk they'd had a few days ago. Abby hadn't told him everything that night. She hadn't told him that bastard Mikel had gotten her pregnant.

Gibbs kept walking slowly until he was only a foot away from her and paused. She blinked up at him, then her eyes widened.

Abby struggled to her feet, slowly backing away from him. She opened her mouth a couple times to try and talk and her hands instinctively curled around her stomach. He watched as her eyes began to fill with tears and he sighed.

Opening his arms, Gibbs stepped forward and Abby crumpled into his chest. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head as she cried, her tears soaking into his t-shirt and the firm roundness of her belly pressing into him.

He stroked her back, letting her cry for a few minutes before opening up the towel he had brought with him and wrapping it around her shoulders. Abby pulled away a little from him and he tucked the sides of the towel over her shoulders, where his hands remained.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her lower lip trembling a little.

Gibbs sighed. "Rule six, Abby."

"I know." Her voice was small and her pigtails were lopsided. "I was going to tell you."

"When?" he couldn't help asking.

Her green eyes were rimmed with mascara smudges. "Soon. Probably not today."

He pulled her in and hugged her again, struggling with his reaction to this bomb she had dropped on him. Pushing her away again, he held onto her shoulders firmly. "Are you all right, Abbs?" he asked seriously.

Gibbs appreciated that she didn't just tell him 'fine', she took a moment to really think about the question.

"I'm healthy," she said softly. "We're healthy, I mean."

Gibbs pulled her back in. "Good enough," he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her hair. "That's good enough for me."

After a few moments, they mutually pulled away from each other. Abby held the beach towel around her shoulders, but her damp blouse didn't let her camouflage her belly at all anymore.

"How far along?" Gibbs asked.

"Four and a half months."

He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Who knows?"

Abby swallowed. "Jenny. Luka."

"Your parents?"

Abby shrugged. "Luka might have told them. I didn't tell him not to."

"Abbs," he began.

"I just didn't want people to ask." Abby sniffled. "It's the second question everyone asks: Who's the father? I wasn't ready to deal with that yet."

"So, the father is…" his voice trailed off. He didn't even want to say the bastard's name out loud.

Abby nodded. "Guess I didn't dump him fast enough, huh?"

Gibbs ran a hand through his hair. "What am I supposed to say to that, Abby? Do you really want me to tell you that you shouldn't have gotten pregnant?"

"No." Abby shook her head.

Gibbs waited patiently.

"I'm not sorry I'm pregnant," she said fiercely. "I'm not. I'm just sorry he's the father."

He nodded. "So now what?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. That's why I came here. Because I don't know what to do now. I thought maybe you would know."

Gibbs was floored with the trust in Abby's eyes. There she was, standing in front of him, begging him to tell her what to do. Why him? She had only just learned that he had been a father once upon a time, why was she coming to him for help? Why not her parents? Or Luka if she didn't want to tell them yet. Luka had a kid, he remembered her talking about a niece. What about her friends?

Hell, even McGee or DiNozzo would have been better choices than him.

She shivered a little, and Gibbs sighed. This wasn't the time or the place to be having this conversation. She needed a warm shower and dry clothes. If she got sick right now… Gibbs didn't even want to think about that.

Gibbs leaned over and picked up his sweatshirt from the beach and put his arm around her. "Come on. We'll talk about this when you're warm and dry."

They walked silently back to the house. Franks was standing on the porch, a beer in his hand (despite the midmorning hour) with a curious expression on his face.

Abby took the red sweatshirt from Gibbs' hands when she reached the steps. "It's okay, you can tell him," she said softly, and disappeared into the house.

Franks stared slack jawed after her. He turned back to Gibbs. "Is she?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, she is."

"Is it yours?" Franks wanted to know.

"No!" Gibbs exclaimed, a little too fast. "No, it's not mine."

Franks took a long gulp out of his beer. "Then whose is it?"

"Some lowlife scoundrel that doesn't deserve to be a father." Gibbs sat on the edge of the deck, hanging his head. Hell, he was still so stunned he didn't have a clue how he should be reacting to all this.

"You gonna take care of her, Gunny?"

Gibbs looked up. "Of course I'm gonna take care of her." It hadn't even crossed his mind not to.

Franks nodded. "Good," he told him, and disappeared around the side of the house.

xxx

Abby wasn't sure how she'd expected Gibbs to react, but somehow it wasn't the way things had happened on the beach. Maybe yelling, even a head slap, something with more anger or intensity than a hug.

She gathered some dry clothes quickly in the bedroom and slipped into the bathroom to take a warm shower. It wouldn't be warm for long, but it would be enough to take the chill off her skin. Damn, she'd expected Mexico to be a lot less cold.

At least it was over. She'd been dreading telling Gibbs for so long that she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest, cliche as it was. Gibbs was the hard one to tell.

Her parents would be ecstatic. They loved being grandparents and they'd be thrilled to hear another grandbaby was on the way. They'd been surprisingly cool when Luka had gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and never pressured the two to marry. She knew they would support her no matter what.

Maybe that was why it had been easier to not tell them. They might not have been upset with her, but Abby was upset with herself. She was so much smarter than this! She'd seen two of her teenage friends get pregnant in high school by jerks, and she'd been so self righteous about the whole thing. She'd never be that stupid. She'd never let some guy who barely deserved air get her pregnant.

A tear slipped down her face as she turned on the shower. Now she was the stupid one. She wanted her baby, already loved him or her with her whole heart and soul, but getting pregnant had not been a smart move.

Not that it had been intentional, because it wasn't. All those "Pregnancy is 100% preventable" campaigns always made her roll her eyes because the only way pregnancy was one hundred percent preventable was to not have sex. No form of birth control was perfect.

Dammit, she missed Kate. Kate had been the first person she'd wanted to tell when she found out. Kate would have known exactly what to say to her, exactly how to make her feel better. She'd been an amazing listener and being pregnant had only made Abby miss her more.

But after she'd thought about Kate, after she'd stared at those two pink lines that were going to change her life and wished her best friend was still alive, she'd thought of Gibbs.

Gibbs, who'd defended her on the first day she was hired and some jerk in the break room made a comment about her clothes. Gibbs, who was the one person who had always accepted her as she was.

Gibbs, who she'd been a little bit in love with ever since she met him.

She smiled a little as she stepped into the shower. Now there was a way to make him run screaming in the other direction. After being married three, no wait… four times, a pregnant girl in love with him would send him a hell of a lot further away than Mexico.

She still didn't know anything about Gibbs first wife and daughter. Well, nothing more than their names, Shannon and Kelly, and when they'd died. It was strange to think she'd known Gibbs for several years without ever knowing about them.

Abby winced when the lukewarm water in the shower turned instantly to ice cold and turned off the faucet. She quickly dried herself and dressed in the dry clothes she had brought with her, a pair of black yoga pants and a long sleeved black t-shirt that had her name printed in sign language on the front in fuchsia.

She wiped the remains of her mascara from underneath her eyes and sighed. At least the hiding was over. No more worrying if her shirts were baggy enough, or if she should be carrying something in front of her stomach for safety.

Life was going to be both easier and harder from now on out.

Back in the bedroom, Abby draped her wet clothes over the foot board of the bed to dry and grabbed her Kindle. She slipped into the living room and curled up on the couch to read.

"Whatcha doing?" Gibbs asked a few minutes later, causing her to startle and nearly sending the device flying into the air.

"Geez, Gibbs," she muttered, holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart. "Why is it these floors creak like some thing's dying when I have to pee in the middle of the night but you don't make a sound on them?"

He shrugged and sat down next to her on the couch, waiting for her to answer.

"Before you gave me a heart attack, I was reading."

He frowned. "On that?" Gibbs indicated her Kindle.

"Yeah." Abby smiled at the perplexed look on his face. "It's called a Kindle. Just came out this year. It can hold hundreds of books all in this little plastic case."

"Huh." Gibbs harrumphed. "I prefer actual books, with pages."

"So do I, most of the time." Abby smiled. "But this means I didn't need an extra suitcase for books. Just a few of the forensic science texts I have on this puppy would have had me carrying an extra twenty pounds onto the plane."

"Just science books?" Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"No, not just science books," Abby told him. "I also have the new Stephen King novel, a couple mysteries that Ziva recommended, and a bunch of books on pregnancy and babies."

She watched Gibbs facial expression change when she said the words 'pregnancy' and 'babies'. His blue eyes seemed to cloud over and she wished that she hadn't brought it up. Not again this quickly anyway.

"I mean," she continued, perilously close to rambling territory, "I'm not an expert on that stuff like you."

"Me?" He raised his eyebrows. "Why would I be an expert on that?"

"Umm." Abby wished someone would appear quickly and duct tape her mouth over before she said something she would regret. "You had a kid, you must know all this stuff."

As she watched his eyebrow twitch, the Gibbs equivalent of a flinch, she wished she had just kept her big fat mouth shut.

"Maybe the baby stuff," Gibbs admitted softly.

"Not the pregnancy stuff?" Abby couldn't help herself from asking. She was a menace. Someone needed to teach her a way to filter what was in her mind and what came out of her mouth before she got into trouble.

Gibbs wiped his palms on the jeans he was wearing. "Missed most of that with Kelly."

Abby held her breath. This was the first time he had ever said his daughters name out loud to her. She had a million questions, but she willed herself to stay silent.

"Got deployed right after Shannon found out she was pregnant."

Now he'd said Kelly's and Shannon's names. Abby's heart beat a little faster, knowing what a big deal this was for Gibbs.

"Didn't get back until two weeks after Kelly was born."

Abby's heart broke right then. Not just for Gibbs, but for Shannon too. She must have been so scared, felt so alone. Abby was doing this alone because she had to, she couldn't imagine doing it all while knowing her husband was risking his life every day.

Knowing that Gibbs was risking his life every day.


	4. Chapter Four: Safe and Warm

Chapter Four: Safe and Warm

Rule #4: If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second best is to tell one person if you must. There is no third best.

Gibbs hadn't intended to tell Abby anything about Shannon and Kelly when he sat down. All he wanted to do was see if she was doing all right and reassure her that she wasn't alone.

The next thing he knew, he was telling her something he hadn't talked about for twenty years.

"She must have missed you a lot," Abby said softly, staring at the book contraption she had on her lap. She looked unusually shy and uncomfortable.

Gibbs hated that. That was one of many reasons he'd kept his loss to himself for all these years. When people knew, they either felt like they had to bring it up, or that they had to avoid the slightest mention. It was easier for people to not have that burden and then Gibbs could focus on just remembering the good memories of his wife and daughter.

This wasn't one of them.

The truth was, he'd tried a lot to not think about Shannon missing him while she was carrying Kelly. The situation had been hard enough for him to handle at the time. He didn't like to think of how hard it must have been for Shannon.

Everything had also been a lot more difficult than he'd expected when he'd returned home from duty that time. He'd left when Shannon was barely showing and when he returned she was holding a baby in her arms. A baby Gibbs didn't have the slightest clue what to do with.

Sure, he'd figured things out soon enough. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when the baby smelled bad, she needed a diaper change, and that when she turned her little head around and grunted she was looking for food he couldn't give her. It hadn't taken long for Gibbs to fall completely and utterly in love with his little girl.

And it had taken only a second for her to be taken away from him.

"Missed her more," Gibbs said gruffly.

Abby reached over slowly and squeezed Gibbs' hand. She started to pull away after a few seconds, but he tightened his grip.

Gibbs found himself suddenly struggling with a lot of emotions he was completely unprepared to feel. He'd told Franks he was going to take care of Abby, and he had no intention of not following through with that, but this had proved in just a couple hours how emotionally draining it was going to be for him.

"Are you going to go back to work?" he asked her, more for something else to talk about than for his desire to know.

Abby shook her head. "Figured it would be better to stay away from all the stress and poisonous chemicals, while the baby's still attached at least."

"And after?"

"Hadn't really thought that far." Abby shrugged, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm in completely uncharted territory here."

"Should probably start with telling your parents," Gibbs suggested gently. He knew how close Abby was with her parents, her dad especially. This was something she should be sharing with them.

"I know." Abby sighed. "I'll email them tomorrow. I found a house down the beach that has wifi I can steal."

Gibbs had no idea what she was talking about, but if it meant she was going to be able to send an email to her parents, that was a good thing.

"They'll be excited," Gibbs told her.

"Probably." Abby yawned. "Suppose it'll be nice to tell someone who's actually happy about this."

Gibbs frowned. When she put it that way, Abby opened up a whole different set of issues he hadn't thought about yet. How lonely she must have been feeling wouldn't be helped by the confused reactions she had gotten to her news so far.

Surely Jenny would have congratulated Abby, but Gibbs also knew that would have been tempered by the stress of finding a new forensic scientist. Replacing Abby was a tall order, and Jenny wouldn't have exactly been thrilled about doing so.

Gibbs wasn't sure he would have described his reaction as unhappy, but after the stress of keeping it a secret and her worries over him being upset at her, it wouldn't have come off as a happy event either.

Shannon had once told Gibbs that a baby was always a happy occasion, no matter what the circumstances of it's conception. He thought seriously about that statement now. She was right of course, Shannon was almost always right. Babies were a happy thing. He could tell, despite Abby's fear over her ex and the situation, she really wanted this baby.

She deserved to have someone be happy for her.

When he finally came out of his thoughts, Gibbs realized Abby had fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he stretched out his legs and settled in for awhile.

Getting bored, he fiddled with her "Kindle" thingy and somehow managed to turn it on. He couldn't figure out how to pick a different book, but the 'next page' and 'previous page' buttons were obvious enough, so he began reading the book Abby had left up, one on pregnancy.

The section she had left off on was about when you could expect to feel movement. The book said that was around sixteen weeks, which Gibbs took a quick second to translate into four months. It would be a little while longer until the movements could be felt on the outside of the body, the book continued, but the mother should be feeling little flutters pretty soon if she hadn't already.

Gibbs looked down at Abby's stomach, which was just large enough for someone to realize she was pregnant. He wondered if she had felt any movement yet. He couldn't begin to imagine what that felt like.

He closed his eyes, remembering all the letters Shannon had sent him while he was deployed, practically ever week. He remembered her telling him about her feeling Kelly kicking, but he didn't remember anything about fluttering.

Gibbs knew he'd missed out on a lot during that period, but even having only known Abby was pregnant for a couple hours had shown him how he'd missed out on so much more than he had ever realized.

Gibbs lifted Abby's reading contraption up again and snagged a pair of reading glasses within reach. It suddenly seemed very important to him that he read more of this book.

xxx

It rained for the next four days, so Abby wasn't able to take her laptop down the beach for some stolen wifi. She did take the time to perfectly compose and edit her email to her parents, and a couple of friends, like her old college roommate and McGee. That felt good, even if she hadn't actually sent the emails yet. It was freeing. No more secrets.

Abby offered to sleep on the floor so Franks could have his bed back, but he was especially stubborn now that he knew she was pregnant. He insisted he was fine and instead dragged his hammock inside when it first started to rain. It took up pretty much all the free space in the living room, which made it tricky moving around during the day. Abby took to reading in the bedroom just so she wouldn't trip over things (and people's feet).

The situation had the added benefit of her getting to watch Gibbs and Franks go completely stir crazy, which was endlessly entertaining. Gibbs did a lot of pacing and staring out the window at the boat frame he'd just begun working on before the rain started. Franks did a lot of muttering and played solitaire at the kitchen table. There was also a great deal of finger pointing about exactly whose fault it was that they had a couple leaks in the roof.

Abby grew very adept at knowing exactly when to change out the buckets and bowls, as well as soothing the delicate male egos in her midst.

One of the days Abby suggested they play poker, which the men took to with great alacrity. They played for pesos for awhile, until Franks ran out and then they played for peanuts, literally. Abby started losing on purpose after awhile, at least part of the time. She figured if she kicked their butts too badly it wouldn't be as fun being cooped up with them anymore.

Finally, it stopped raining, and the sun came out. Abby watched with amusement as the men scattered like cockroaches when the lights went on. Gibbs ran outside and was inspecting the boat frame all over for… whatever it was he was worried about, and Franks just dragged his hammock back outside where it belonged and settled in with a beer.

Once she was sure the sun wasn't just a cruel practical joke, Abby grabbed her computer bag and told Gibbs she was going for a walk. It was time to get some emails sent.

The walk seemed a little longer than she remembered, but finally the big fenced in house was in sight. Abby paused for a second when she spotted a figure on the beach this time, but kept going. Maybe it would be the house's mysterious owner, who she'd been wondering about since the last time she was there.

As she got closer, Abby observed the man standing in the sand. He was a little pudgy, with dirty blond hair in desperate need of a cut and the same scruffy beard Gibbs was sporting these days.

He didn't seem to notice as she approached and Abby didn't want to startle him, so she made a point of coughing loudly when she was about twenty feet away.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully as he turned towards her. "I'm Abby. I'm staying with a friend just down the beach. His name's Mike Franks."

The man blinked at her. He appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties, and his awkward movements immediately reminded her of McGee. He definitely had to be a computer nerd.

"Don't know him," the man said softly, looking a little edgy, like a frightened baby deer.

"Oh." Abby continued to smile, hoping that she could put him at ease somehow. She raised her laptop bag. "I was actually coming down here to borrow your wifi if that's all right. I got my cell phone wet last week and I wanted to send a couple emails."

He tucked his hands deep inside the pockets of his khaki shorts. Now that she was closer, she could see that his worn baby blue shirt had a diagram of the caffeine molecule on it. Yup, definitely a nerd, this one.

"That's okay," he said finally. "Spent a fortune getting decent Internet access out here, might as well let someone else enjoy it."

"Thank you so much," Abby told him. "I love your shirt by the way. Up until a couple of months ago I'm pretty sure my bloodstream was 50% Caf-Pow."

His eyes perked up at the mention. "Caf-Pow?" he said softly.

"Yeah. You know, bright red, full of ridiculous amount of caffeine and it's practically necessary for functioning?" Abby teased.

"Yeah, I know," he said softly. "I practically lived on the stuff myself a couple years back."

"Stressful job?"

"I ran a semi popular Internet company," he told her. "I sold it three years ago and moved down here."

"Nice." Abby smiled again. "Do you have a name, Mr. Semi Popular Internet Company?"

He blushed a little. "Yeah, uh, my names George. George Hudson."

"Nice to meet you, George Heigl," Abby said sincerely. "I can understand why you'd move down this way. I've only been here a couple weeks and I'm loving it."

"Even the rain?" George raised his eyebrows.

Abby laughed. "Even the rain. I got to watch two ex-Marines survive cooped up in a three room shack. It was better than television any day."

"Ex-marines?" George looked intrigued.

"Yeah. My old boss and his old boss. I needed to get away and they've been nice enough to let me crash the bachelor pad for awhile."

"Ah."

Abby glanced over at the large house by the beach. "So, George Hudson, you live alone in that big house?"

"Mostly." George looked a little flustered. "Martha and Anita live in a small apartment on the first floor. Martha cooks for me and Anita, her granddaughter, makes sure I don't leave the place too much of a mess."

Abby wasn't sure what to say to that. She was standing in front of a guy who obviously made a great deal of money selling his Internet company. (She made a mental note to ask McGee if he knew who George Hudson was) The contrast between his life and Franks was mildly hilarious. George had live in staff and Franks had Gibbs.

The idea of Gibbs as 'staff' nearly sent her into peals of laughter. The only thing that held them back was knowing that poor uncomfortable George would think she was a raging lunatic.

George's eyes darted back to his fenced in home. "I, uh, I'd better get back inside," he murmured. The poor guy must not get many visitors, Abby thought, he looked so uncomfortable.

"Go ahead." Abby waved her arm. "I'm just going to settle out here for a few and send my emails. Thanks for the use of the wifi, by the way."

"No problem," George mumbled, and practically ran back to his house.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, Abby let out a giggle. George seemed nice enough, but he sure was skittish as a newborn colt. Not that she'd ever seen a newborn colt, but she had been born in the south and her grandparents had told her about such things.

Abby picked out a spot and sat cross legged in the sand. She pulled out her laptop and let it boot up, then quickly logged onto George's wireless Internet signal, which was amusingly called "GeorgeintheBahaJungle".

It took a few minutes to skim through what seemed like hundreds of emails in her personal inbox. After deleting the spam, the random newsletters she subscribed to but rarely read, and a bunch of forwards from friends she considered blocking because all they ever sent her was dumb email forwards, she was left with a half a dozen messages.

The first one she read was from Luka, wanting to check up on her. He had not told their parents, although he threatened to if she waited too long, and he wanted her to come visit.

Abby wrote him a quick reply, reassuring him she was all right, and telling him about the email she was sending to their parents, which it seemed natural to take the time to send right then as well.

There was one email each from McGee, Tony, and Ziva, all pretty much saying the same thing. They missed her, wondered where she was, and hoped she was all right.

Abby pulled up the email she'd composed to McGee and added a P.S. to the bottom, telling him to share as much as he wanted with Tony and Ziva. She quickly sent that email and the others she had written quickly, before she lost her nerve.

The other two messages didn't require replies, and with a sigh, Abby turned her gaze to a very special folder she'd set up a couple months back titled simply, 'M'.

She'd written a simple program that re-routed any and all messages that were suspected of coming from Mikel to a seperate folder. Ones that came from IP addresses he'd used in the past, screen names he'd used, ect. She'd tried blocking him completely, but he just kept finding new ways to get a hold of her. In the end, this had seemed the easiest solution. She didn't usually read the messages, she just used the folder to check on the frequency of the messages, which were useful in gaging just how manic Mikel was these days.

Apparently, he was pretty bad. There were twenty emails from that day alone, most from different email addresses. She was about to close the window when the subject line of one of the messages jumped out at her.

Are You PREGNANT?!

Abby bit her lip and took a deep breath. Dammit! She blinked rapidly, determined not to cry. How had he figured it out? She'd taken great precautions with the information since she'd discovered her condition, precisely for this reason.

Might as well open the email, she told herself, and she did so. She scanned through the rambling message, able to get the general message through all his crazy.

Bored, without an actual Abby to stalk, he'd hacked her Amazon account. Abby wanted to scream. All the books she'd bought for her Kindle, all the books on pregnancy and babies. Mikel wasn't stupid.

And now he knew.

xxx

Gibbs tried not to worry about how long Abby had been gone. He knew she had probably been feeling pretty claustrophobic, cooped up in the house with two old codgers like him and Mike, so he knew she was likely just enjoying some well deserved alone time.

He checked on the status of his boat, making mental notes on what he could do now, and what his next few steps should be. After that he took a walk in the opposite direction Abby had gone to look for some more driftwood to add to his pile. He lugged back a few larger pieces and then stood and stared at the pile for awhile, trying to think of something he could do with it.

Stumped, Gibbs went looking for Abby's reading contraption, but it was attached to the wall charging and this time he couldn't figure out how to turn it on again. The picture on the front of Mark Twain taunted him until he flung it back down on the bed and went looking for a real book.

He stared at the bookshelf long enough for Franks to wander back inside and chuckle at him.

"If you're gonna start pacing, do it outside."

"I'm not pacing," Gibbs muttered, selecting a book at random. "I'm just a little bored."

Franks pulled a bag of chips out of the cupboard and another beer out of the fridge. "You could always fix those leaks you missed on the roof."

Gibbs knew he was just trying to get a rise out of him, but damn it was working. "Wouldda been easier to work on if you'd done a better job in the first place."

Franks waved the beer in the air. "I know you're not complaining about my house, Probie. If it's good enough for you to stay in rent free all summer it ain't too good for you to work on."

Gibbs took his book over to the couch and sat down, feeling uncomfortably like a petulant teenager.

Franks followed him and stood in front of the coffee table. "I know you're worried about that girl of yours, but from the stories you've told me, she can take care of herself."

"Who can take care of herself?"

Both men looked up to see Abby standing by the back door looking like her usual cheerful self. She came inside and put her computer bag down on the coffee table.

"Took ya long enough to send a couple emails," Franks grumbled.

Abby stole a couple chips out of the open bag in Franks' hand. "Didn't realize I had a curfew, Dad," she teased.

Franks moved the bag out of her reach. "Git yer own," he growled, but the sparkle in his eyes revealed just how much Abby had already grown on him.

Abby wandered into the kitchen and found another bag in the cupboard. "Ooh, Nacho Cheese," she said with obvious delight. "I met your neighbor to the south. He's totally loaded."

"Neighbor?" Franks said with dismay at the same time Gibbs turned around and complained, "He?"

Abby giggled at her two grouchy keepers. "Yes, Mike, you have a neighbor. You'll be happy to know I'm pretty sure he's as much of a hermit as you are. And yes, Gibbs, he is a he."

She carried her chips over to the couch and flopped down next to Gibbs. "His name is George and he used to live up in California where he ran an internet company which was apparently pretty successful, since he sold it and retired down here."

"How old is he?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"I am not a hermit," Franks muttered, losing interest and wandering outside to his trusty hammock, where he could in all likeliness still hear the entire conversation without anyone expecting him to contribute.

"Maybe early thirties?" Abby munched on her chips. "I didn't talk to him long."

"Did you get your emails sent?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes." He could tell by her lack of explanation and the way her entire expression darkened that something else had happened.

"Explain," he ordered, sitting up straighter.

"It's not that big of a deal," Abby murmured, shoving another handful of chips in her mouth.

Gibbs waited semi patiently for her to finish chewing and then stopped her hand from going back into the chip bag. "Abby."

"I got an email from Mikel."

Gibbs set his book on the table and turned towards her, waiting.

Abby went on to explain the separate folder in her email account and the program she had designed. Gibbs only understood about thirty percent of what she was talking about, but he let her ramble, figuring she needed to talk.

"… so I opened it." Abby took a deep breath. "He hacked my Amazon account, Gibbs."

Gibbs waited for her to explain.

"He saw all the books I bought." Abby sniffed. "Mikel knows I'm pregnant."

Gibbs clenched his fists. He really wanted something to punch at that exact moment. Preferably Mikel himself.

"I knew I'd have to tell him eventually." Abby began to cry. "I just wasn't ready for it to be now."

Gibbs pulled her into his arms and let her cry. His hands ran up and down Abby's back, the strokes as much to soothe himself as to soothe her. The fear in Abby's eyes stuck him somewhere deep inside his chest. He had never seen her that afraid before, not even after her autopsy nightmares, and he hadn't thought anyone could be more afraid than that.

"It's just not fair," Abby said, her voice muffled against his chest. "I just want to be happy. Just like other pregnant woman, you know? I'm supposed to be happy. I am happy, most of the time. When I'm not peeing all the time or sleeping all the time."

Gibbs couldn't help a small smile. "That's normal," he reassured her.

"I don't like normal. Normal people scare me."

Now he really couldn't help the smile. "That's my girl," he murmured, pressing a kiss on the crown of her head.

Abby pulled back away from him. "I really am happy. I want this baby. It's just these stupid hormones making me weepy all the time."

Gibbs tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I know," he said softly.

She yawned. "And I think the baby wants a nap."

He stood and gently pulled her up off the couch. "C'mon, if you're gonna nap you should at least do it in a bed and not on this lumpy couch."

Abby let him tug him towards the bedroom. "I don't wanna be alone," she mumbled, looking like she might fall asleep right on her feet.

Gibbs pulled back the blankets and gave her a gentle push onto the bed. "If you want," he said softly, tucking her legs under the covers. "If you want, I'll stay."

"Stay," she murmured without hesitation.

Gibbs walked around the bed and got in beside her. Abby murmured something he couldn't hear and leaned closer to him. He reached his arm out and pulled her against his chest and she quieted.

He stayed awake for a long time, just listening to the sound of her breathing.

And trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

xxx

Warm, was the first word that crossed Abby's mind as she began to wake up. Safe, was a close second. She opened her eyes slightly and frowned at the lack of light coming from the window. How long had she been asleep?

She started to roll on her back and realized she couldn't move. She reached down and felt… an arm? She turned her head to find Gibbs right up against her, spooning her tightly to his body.

After a few confused seconds, she remembered asking Gibbs to stay when he'd tucked her into bed for a nap. She closed her eyes again, savoring the feeling of his solid body pressed against hers.

He still smelled like sawdust and bourbon. She didn't know why, since he didn't appear to have worked on his boat today and all the alcohol in the cabin was Franks' seemingly never ending supply of beer, but he did. It was comforting.

"Why are you smiling?" Gibbs murmured without opening his eyes.

She frowned. "How did you know I was smiling?" she demanded to know.

He opened his eyes. "I peeked." He didn't move away from her and she realized she was gripping his arm like a life preserver.

"Sorry," she mumbled, letting go.

"Feel better?" he asked, not moving away.

"I think so." She twisted her body so she could see his face. "Sorry I got all weepy on you. I know guys hate that."

"You're entitled," he told her. "Ya got a pretty good excuse for it." His hand settled low on her stomach, cupping the hard bump that had been forming the past few weeks.

"If you two want something to eat you'd better get out here soon!" Franks shouted from the next room.

Gibbs rolled onto his back and Abby giggled. She scrambled to her feet and walked into the living room. "You cooked?" she asked Franks, who was standing near the back door.

"I grilled steaks, I wouldn't exactly call it gourmet," Franks told her. "I know you don't eat meat so I threw some corn on with it, hopefully that's enough for you."

"Actually," Abby paused as Gibbs came up behind her, resting his hand on the small of her back and being generally distracting. "Could I have some steak?"

Gibbs tilted his head.

She patted her stomach. "I think this kid's a carnivore, I've been craving meat ever since I got here."

"You're the one who ate all my bacon!" Franks' gestured wildly with the spatula in his hand.

"I only had a couple pieces!" Abby defended herself. "Besides, it wasn't me, it was the baby!"

Gibbs gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Why do I have a feeling that excuse is gonna get used a lot the next few months?"

Franks cackled as Gibbs received his very own head slap.

Abby cozied up to Franks and rolled her eyes. "Four wives and the man still hasn't learned to keep his mouth shut."

"You'll just have to whip him into shape," Franks told her conspiratorially. "I did the best I could with the time I had."

Gibbs retrieved plates for them all and followed the two new 'friends' out onto the porch. Franks cut a piece off each of the two steaks for Abby and she completely devoured every fragment, to both the men's amusement. Everyone enjoyed the corn on the cob, which was grilled to perfection. Franks knew his way around a grill, which was good, because it was the probably the only way he didn't live solely on potato chips and ramen noodles.

Gibbs surprisingly chose to have tea with Abby, instead of beer, which she found odd. He wasn't an alcoholic or anything (although Franks was giving her pause these days) but she didn't usually see him drinking tea in the evenings.

The reason for his abstinence, became clear not long after dinner.

"I'm taking the truck into town," he announced, standing up. "I won't be long."

Abby looked up at him in surprise. "You want company?"

"Not this time." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You get some sleep. You can come with me next time, probably."

She wanted to protest, but the gentle way he spoke really got to her. Instead of being upset that he was leaving her behind, he managed to make her feel cherished and special.

Damn that man.

* * *

 **A/N:** So I'd like to apologize for the lack of a chapter last week. I got caught up with RL things and then my anxiety shot through the roof. However, today is Day 1 of Camp Nanowrimo during which I'm hoping to complete this story, so it seems fitting to post a chapter today. :) I've edited this chapter like six times so I hope everyone likes it and be sure and let me know what you thought!

 **Next Chapter:** There's a change in location for our pair, for a very important reason. (yes, I'm being intentionally mean and vague)


	5. Chapter Five: Popcorn

**Chapter Five: Popcorn**

 **Rule #3: Never be unreachable.**

McGee was sitting hunched over his typewriter, pipe in hand, wearing his favorite tweed jacket, feeling less inspired to write and more like a Sherlock Holmes understudy when his cell phone rang.

Finally, a distraction, he thought to himself, flipping the phone open without checking to see who was calling. "Hello?"

"McGee."

He froze. That was a voice he had not heard for almost four months now. In fact, it was easily the last voice he had expected to hear on the phone. "Boss?" he said hesitantly.

"Not your boss anymore, McGee."

McGee swallowed. "Right, uh, Gibbs?"

"I need you to run a name for me."

McGee was already walking towards his computer. "Sure, what's the name?"

"Mikel Mawher." He spelled the name out for McGee. "I wanna know what kind of criminal history this guy has."

"No problem." McGee was pulling up the correct databases and typing the name in as he spoke. He paused for a moment. "Huh."

"What?" Gibbs voice demanded.

"Oh, sorry! Um, looks like he cleans crime scenes for a living. I just hadn't really thought about people doing that as a job." McGee continued reading.

"Criminal history?" Gibbs reminded him, sounding surprisingly less perturbed than usual.

"Right, boss. I mean Gibbs!" It was going to take him awhile to get used to this. "I'm not seeing much. A couple unpaid speeding tickets, parking tickets and… oh."

"What, McGee?"

McGee swallowed. "Um, apparently he has a restraining order out against him. Filed by-"

"Abby, I know," Gibbs finished.

Well, McGee hadn't. He flinched inwardly as he read through the court documents. Mikel broke into Abby's house? Stole her mail? McGee was having trouble taking all this in.

"McGee!"

"Sorry." McGee took a deep breath. "Other than a sealed juvie record, I don't see anything else, boss."

"Unseal it."

McGee cracked a tiny smile. He had seen that coming a mile away. For Abby, he had no problem getting into the file, legally or otherwise. "On it. It might take a while though. You want anything else?"

"Yeah, I want you to find out whatever else you can on this guy. Find out where he spends his time, his money. I also want to know if he's trying to contact Abby in any way. Run her phone records, credit history, anything that might tell you more about this guy."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable digging into Abby's life," McGee told him honestly.

"Get comfortable. I'll call you tomorrow."

McGee sighed as he heard the dial tone. Some things never changed.

He was beginning to put things together in his head. One of the likely reasons for his current writer's block was the email he had received earlier that day from Abby. She was pregnant and now she had an ex-boyfriend who was stalking her? It didn't take a rocket scientist to put those two facts together.

He hadn't realized until the email that Abby was with Gibbs. He probably should have guessed, but she'd been pulling away from him, from everyone on the team, all summer.

That actually made a lot more sense now too.

Thinking about that made it feel a little less like prying to look into Abby's personal life now. McGee pulled up her cell phone records and scanned the information. It didn't look like her cell phone had been on for the past week, but someone had called her over fifty times in that time period.

Mikel Mawher. Shocking.

This situation was a definite MOAS. The mother of all secrets. Abby had explained the term to him once and he hadn't thought much of it at the time, but man it applied now.

In the email, Abby had apologized for keeping her pregnancy a secret from everyone. She just hadn't been ready to talk about it yet. He could understand that. He wished she'd felt comfortable enough confiding in him, but Abby's mind was a complex place.

Despite her teasing, she'd been surprisingly sensitive to his feelings over the years since their breakup. He wouldn't say he'd never felt jealous of a new guy cropping up in her life, but their relationship had become much more friend or sibling in nature than it had ever been romantic.

Abby was important to him. She was probably his closest friend. Of all the people in his life, McGee always leaned on Abby for support, because he always knew he'd receive it from her.

He was not going to let her down now.

McGee began searching and compiling information on Mikel Mawher until his shoulders were aching and his head had begun to pound. He considered sleep, or a book, but rejected them.

He needed to talk to someone about what was going on. And Abby had told him he could tell Ziva and DiNozzo if he wanted to so… he dialed the number.

"Hey, Ziva. It's McGee. I-I really need someone to talk to."

xxx

Gibbs felt satisfied after making the phone call to McGee. He didn't have any definite plans on solving Abby's problem, but at least he'd made a few steps in the right direction.

This Mawher guy would have to be dealt with eventually and Gibbs felt more comfortable knowing he'd have the right information available when that was necessary.

He thanked Camille for the use of the cantina's phone, threw some cash in the tip jar and drove Frank's ramshackle truck back to his ramshackle house.

Franks was reclined on the couch when Gibbs came in, head on the pillow. "It's supposed to rain tonight. Abby told me if I didn't sleep on the couch she'd show me why PMS also stands for 'Pregnancy Meanness Syndrome'."

Gibbs chuckled. "Already scared of her, Franks?"

"I was married long enough to know when not to mess with a woman. She said you'd bunk with her."

Gibbs nodded. After what he'd learned about the past few months, there wasn't much he'd do to make Abby happy.

And he was learning quickly that there really was no point fighting with a pregnant woman.

"Probie!" Franks called after him as he walked towards the bedroom. "No hanky panky in there, the walls are too damn thin!"

Gibbs had never wanted to slap his mentor more than in that moment. Unfortunately he'd come to respect the man too much for that.

Mike Franks had taken an angry, grief-stricken widower and taught him how to unleash his desire for justice in the world of Navy cops. More recently, he'd taken a shell shocked, overwhelmed, and confused man into his home, no questions asked.

Mike had never lied to him, never placated him, never expected more of him than he was able to give. He'd simply always been there at the right moment, dispensing just enough wisdom and head slapping to keep him in line.

He wondered if his life would have been different if he'd met Abby back then. And, of course, she hadn't been an elementary school student at the time. Maybe she wouldn't have let him throw himself into three doomed marriages.

She certainly wouldn't have done the same things his ex wives had that had driven him crazy, nor would she have put up with the same amount of crap from him that they had. Even now, she was practically bursting with questions about Shannon and Kelly, but she never brought them up.

She'd also finally managed to find a reason to stop him from sleeping on the couch.

Gibbs opened the door quietly and stepped into the bedroom. He had no doubt this had been in her plans all along. Abby had seen him sleeping on the couch when she'd shown up after her infamous 'autopsy nightmares' and had been less than pleased. She'd been practically crippled with fear, and still took the time to gripe about his sleeping habits.

Of course, hers weren't all that much better. Gibbs walked over to the side of the bed Abby was on and removed the book she had fallen asleep holding. The small lamp beside the bed was still on and he smiled at the cover. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Figures she'd have found some decent literature in Franks' motley collection.

"You're back?" Abby's sleepy voice made him pause halfway across the room.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep," he instructed.

"Not sleeping," she mumbled, rolling over onto her side. "Was just resting my eyes."

"Uh huh." Gibbs suppressed a smile as she let out a soft snore. She was wearing his red sweatshirt again. He didn't mind. Might as well just call it hers from now on. Looked better on her anyway.

He quietly stripped off his jeans and slipped between the covers in his t-shirt and boxers. Abby positively slithered towards the warmth of his body and pressed her head against his shoulder.

He reached slowly over her to turn out the light, trying not to wake her up again, but she was already stirring.

"Felt the baby moving today," she murmured.

Gibbs froze, torn between wanting to know more and not wanting to know anything at all. But Abby didn't really care if he asked or not, she would tell him what she wanted to.

"Mmm Hmm." She took a deep breath. "Felt kinda like popcorn popping."

"Popcorn?" Gibbs found himself asking.

"From the inside," was her response.

He smiled, putting his arm around her and letting her cuddle into his chest. "Can't wait 'til you can feel," she mumbled, wiggling her body to find the most comfortable spot.

Gibbs closed his eyes and concentrated on the way her hair was tickling his neck. Neither could he.

The feat of what that meant kept him up long after Abby's breathing evened out.

xxx

Gibbs was making Abby very, very suspicious over the next few days. He kept sneaking out of the house and roaring off towards town in Franks' loud truck, and he refused to take her with him or even tell her what he was doing.

She tried not to be nosy, she really did. She kept busy, reading her books, using her laptop to work on all those forensic science papers she had been wanting to write over the years but had never had the time to do, playing poker with Franks and laughing at his grumblings when he inevitably lost.

But something was going on. She could feel it. She could practically smell it in the air sometimes. She had a hunch Franks' knew what was going on, but he was a clam, and however many ex-wives he'd had left him impervious to her interrogation techniques.

She was all set to yell at Gibbs for taking off on her yet again when he got back from town that day, but this time he looked different.

"What's wrong?" she asked instantly.

Gibbs had a weary expression on his face, and his eyes never left her. "Your brother has been trying to reach you."

"Luka?" Abby frowned.

Gibbs nodded. "Couldn't get through to your cell phone, so he called NCIS."

Abby was confused. No one at NCIS had the number for the cantina, except her. She'd originally planned on being able to use her cell phone, at least part of the time while she was here, and hadn't bothered giving a backup number to anyone.

"Called McGee a few days ago," Gibbs said, knowing instinctively what she wanted to know. Which of course, opened up a whole new set of questions that she would ask him later. "When I talked to him today he gave me Luka's number and I called him for you."

He looked hesitant, but Abby wasn't having any of that. "Gibbs, just tell me." It couldn't be any worse than all the horrors she was imagining.

"Your father had a heart attack."

Abby gasped, and Gibbs came over and put his arms around her. "He's all right," he reassured her. "He's stable and the doctor thinks he'll make a full recovery, but he needs surgery and your mom wants you there."

Abby nodded, sniffling. Of course she would be there. He was her father. She would be there right that instant if she could.

Gibbs was stroking her back soothingly. "As soon as you can get your stuff together Camille's nephew is going to drive us to Tijuana. She's on the phone right now getting us on the first flight she can to Louisiana."

"Us?" Abby lifted her head to look at him. "You're coming with me?"

"Course I am." He stared at her solemnly. "Not gonna let you do this on your own, Abbs."

Her heart melted. This was the Gibbs she had always seen even when others didn't. This truly unselfish man who would put himself out to help a friend in need. If she hadn't been so worried about her father, she just might have kissed him.

"I'll go pack." Abby scurried into the bedroom and wondered with dismay how she had managed to spread her belongings so far out in only a couple weeks. She dragged her suitcases onto the bed and began throwing her clothes inside. Dirty, clean, she was too worried to care.

After she'd had a few minutes to process things, she separated out her larger carry on bag and began packing just the necessities. There was no telling how many stopovers they would have and she didn't need to be thinking about luggage. She'd just have to buy more clothes when she got there. The important part was getting home as soon as possible.

It didn't hurt that she was strangely resistant to the idea of packing up all of her things and taking them with her. It was like saying that she wasn't coming back, and Abby wasn't ready to say that yet. These last few weeks had been some of the happiest she'd had in months, and she wasn't ready to say goodbye to that.

If she left enough things behind, they'd have to let her come back.

She knew it was ridiculous reasoning, but her brain was on overload at the moment. Worrying about her father, worrying about getting there fast enough, worrying about the baby… Abby was worrying about how much she was worrying.

She was trying to take deep breaths and relax a little when Franks knocked on the door frame. "You need any help?" he asked.

"No thanks," she said with a smile. "I packed up what I know I'll need. I hope you don't mind that I'm leaving some stuff behind," she gestured to where she'd piled everything else in one corner.

"Doesn't bother me none." Franks stuck his hands in his pockets. "You're welcome here anytime."

"You don't know how much I appreciate that," Abby told him, feeling tears start to well up in her eyes.

Franks swore. "Aw, hell, don't cry."

The horrified look on his face made her giggle a little. "I'm gonna miss you, Mike." she told him.

"You just take care of yourself and that baby," he told her gruffly. "I'm sure that's all your dad wants you to worry about."

Abby gave him a spontaneous hug. He was startled at first, but managed to relax and lightly pat her back after a moment. She kissed him on the cheek when she pulled back. "You're a good friend, Mike Franks," she told him.

"Yeah well, if Gibbs don't take care of ya, you have my permission to slap him on the back of the head, ya hear me?" Franks said seriously.

Abby laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

xxx

The drive to Tijuana took almost five hours. It would have been a little faster, but Abby needed to take a bathroom break at least once an hour, even after Camille's nephew started to threaten withholding beverages. (Abby told the little twerp that she had a human being using her bladder as a bouncy castle and if he wanted her to continue being the bright sunshiny person she was striving to be he'd shut his mouth before she showed him what a pissed off pregnant lady could do for damage. Gibbs just head-slapped him.)

Then they had to fly from Tijuana to Mexico City, which was a nightmare. Abby had been too keyed up to sleep in the car or during the first plane ride, so she was beyond exhausted. Gibbs practically had to prop her up with a stick. The airport was hot and overcrowded, which sent his blood pressure soaring while he worried about getting Abby to the right terminal on time.

Then, exhausted and hungry, Abby nearly beheaded the security officer who tried to confiscate her bottle of water as they boarded. Gibbs managed to talk the woman out of it by pointing out Abby's pregnancy, hidden under his red sweatshirt which she had refused to take off for some reason no matter how hot it got in the terminal.

By the time they were finally settled on the plane, Abby was in tears and Gibbs was wishing they'd just rented a car in Tijuana.

There was only three seats in their row and no one else had shown up, so as soon as the wear seatbelt sign clicked off Gibbs pulled Abby half across his lap and let her curl up against his chest. She was asleep in minutes, and her soft snoring was a balm to his nerves. They both managed to sleep until it was time for the plane to land, when a kind flight attendant shook his shoulder.

Invigorated by her power nap, Abby wanted to rent a car and start driving immediately towards the small town just outside New Orleans where her parents lived. Since it was around three in the morning, Gibbs convinced her to stay in a hotel for the night and they'd get to the hospital first thing in the morning.

There was a twenty four hour diner open across the street from their hotel and they turned in without bothering to check in at the hotel first.

The diner was well lit and clean, full of squashed plastic booths and Formica topped tables and chairs. It was mostly empty except for a group of teenagers apparently trying to sober up before the drive home, and a few grizzled looking truckers here and there.

Their waitress sat them at a booth and handed each of them laminated menus, reciting the daily specials off in a monotone that suggested her shift was nearly over.

The next thing Gibbs knew, Abby had ordered half the menu and he was staring in amazement as she shoveled in bite after bit of hamburger, french fries, pancakes, and the biggest salad he had ever seen.

"Hey, I'm eating for two," she mumbled with her mouth full, after she caught the incredulous look on his face.

Gibbs wasn't going to say a word. Actually, he was kind of impressed. Abby always had a good appetite, but this was kind of amazing.

"You folks gonna want dessert?" Their tired looking waitress asked after clearing their plates.

Gibbs burst into laughter at the hopeful look on Abby's face. "Go for it," he urged her. "Just promise you'll let me have a bite."

Abby ordered a slice of pecan pie with vanilla bean ice cream on the side.

"Thank you," Abby told him.

Gibbs shrugged. "You're the one who has to try and find a spare spot to put the pie."

"Not about the pie." Abby reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for coming with me. You didn't have to do that."

"My father taught me to never abandon a damsel in distress."

Abby raised her eyebrows. "A damsel in distress? Really?"

Gibbs chucked. "Okay, how about a strong woman in need of support."

"I suppose that's all right."

"Good. Because I'm going to help ya whether you want it or not." Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. No amount of caffeine would keep him from sleeping tonight, not that it ever interfered with his sleep anyway. "I know your dad's surgery isn't the only thing you're worrying about."

The waitress arrived with Abby's pie and the bill, giving her a few minutes to think over what he'd said. He knew it was hard for Abby to accept help, and he hoped that she wouldn't push him away because he needed to make sure she was all right.

"Gloria loves you anyway," Abby said finally, pushing the plate to the middle of the table so he could have a bite. "I apologize in advance if she asks if you're the baby's father. I explained everything in the email, but she's always hoped we'd wind up together so she might conveniently forget that part at first."

Gibbs nearly choked on the bite he'd just placed in his mouth. "Excuse me?" he managed to choke out.

Abby giggled. "You didn't know?"

"No." Gibbs shook his head vehemently. "I definitely did not know." Which was an understatement at best. Gibbs had only recently found himself imagining the unlikely possibility of a romantic relationship with Abby. It had definitely never occurred to him that someone else might think of it first.

"Huh." Abby shrugged. "I thought she'd been pretty obvious. I think she always hoped the love of a strong military man such as yourself would snap me out of what she still refers to as 'that goth phase you're going through'." Abby punctuated everything with finger quotes.

"What about McGee? Or DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked her. "You know, someone a little closer to your age."

Abby shook her head. "Dad's thirteen years older than Gloria, she's never had an issue with age. Besides, she hated DiNozzo when they met and she thought McGee would get pushed around too much."

"Dunno what she was talking about," Gibbs muttered, risking Abby's wrath and taking another bite of pie.

"Brat." Abby swatted at his hand. "Nope, she's always had her sights set on you. In fact, you'd better hope nothing happens to my dad, or she might go after you herself."

Abby seemed to deflate before his eyes, and he knew she was silently chastising herself up about the joke. "He's gonna be fine," Gibbs reassured her, nudging her leg under the table. "Now hurry up and finish that pie so we can go get some sleep."

xxx

Gloria's face simultaneously lit up and crumpled when she caught sight of her daughter. Abby held her mother as she sobbed in the hospital lobby, burying her face into the older woman's neck and breathing in the soft floral scent she'd always associated with her mother. Luka, his girlfriend Mellie and their six year old daughter Sami stood to the side while the two hugged.

Abby gave a little wave to her niece over her mom's shoulder. She'd had a feeling her mom would react this way to her arrival. Gloria liked to put on a tough face, but she'd always leaned on Abby for support, even when she was just a kid.

Gibbs stood a few feet behind her, letting the two women have their moment. He'd called Luka that morning before Abby had even woken up to find out which hospital her dad was at and arrange a meeting time.

She'd been too nervous to want to eat, but he'd made her have a couple quick things from the hotel's bland continental breakfast. She knew she'd be grateful later when her blood sugar didn't take a nose dive.

She heard Luka in the background introducing the rest of the family to Gibbs. He hadn't ever visited her in DC, when their parents came last he'd been busy with college and helping Mellie raise Sami, so Gibbs had never met them. But Abby usually made it down there to visit for at least one weekend a year, and they all talked on the phone and emailed frequently.

Gloria finally composed herself and pulled away to look closely at Abby. _Look at you,_ she signed. _My little girl, all grown up and having a baby._

"A nice change from 'what the hell is wrong with you, you're not ready to be a parent!'" Lukas muttered to Gibbs. Out of the corner of her eye Abby could see him crack a small smile.

Finally set loose by her mother, Sami ran up to her. "Auntie Abby! Auntie Abby! Daddy said you have a baby in your belly."

Smiling, Abby took Sami's hand and let her touch her stomach while she looked up at Gloria. "How's dad?" she asked, her hands shaking a little as she signed.

 _He's strong,_ Gloria told her. _They took him for some tests but we can go wait in his room where it's quieter. He's looking forward to seeing his little girl._

"She won't be little for long," Luka quipped, earning himself a slap on the arm from Mellie. "Sorry! I've been holding it all in since you told me."

"Pesky little brothers," Abby complained, ruffling his hair, which was nearly as dark as hers but a lot fluffier.

Gloria led them all back to Ben's room where Abby was immediately pushed into one of the room's only two chairs by her brother.

"I'm not breakable," Abby grumbled from her seat, but Luka just grinned.

"Give it up, sis. You took care of me when I was little, and now I'm gonna take care of you while I can. Besides, another month or so and your ankles will be so swollen you'll be wishing I was around to rub them."

"It's true," Mellie said, sitting in the chair beside Abby. "He gives great foot massages."

Luka looked surprised when he glanced over and found Gibbs translating for Gloria, who couldn't see their lips from her position. "Sorry, Mom," he said apologetically, signing as he spoke this time. "I know it's rude."

 _It is._ Gloria shrugged. _I'm used to it though. I know you two don't see each other often and are just excited._

Sami climbed into Abby's lap and with her mother watching on, began telling her Auntie Abby everything she had done in the past few months while Gibbs spoke with Luka and Gloria about Ben's condition.

As Sami chattered on, Abby let her concentration shift to what Gibbs was saying softly in the background as he signed to Gloria. She had no doubt this soft voice was for her, since he knew she wouldn't be able to see him signing from where she sat with her niece. She appreciated the thoughtfulness, and found herself relaxing a little.

Apparently her dad had been having some shortness of breath for a few weeks, but had brushed it off as just overexerting himself. Then, two days before, he'd started having chest pains. Gloria had called 911 and he'd been transfered to the hospital via ambulance.

It hadn't taken the doctors long to realize he was in fact having a heart attack, although luckily not a severe one. The results from the electrocardiogram and the blood tests were explained to Gloria and Ben as indicative of coronary heart disease.

The test Ben was currently receiving was an angiogram to determine the severity of the coronary disease. Gibbs was semi familiar with the testing process, from supporting a former NCIS agent through the process about ten years before. He explained and used his previous knowledge to reassure Gloria and Lukas the best he could.

After the waiting had continued for an hour or so, Sami announced that she was hungry. Luka and Mellie decided to take her down to the cafeteria for lunch, and to Abby's surprise, Gibbs offered to join them.

As they headed out of the room, Gloria took over the seat Mellie had previously been occupying and gave her daughter a strained smile.

 _He'll be okay,_ Abby signed, wanting to comfort her.

 _I trust the doctors,_ was Gloria's response _. Right now I am more worried about you._

 _I'm fine,_ Abby rushed to say.

Gloria's eyes narrowed, seeing right through her daughter's reassurances. _You have been keeping secrets from your family._

 _I didn't want to upset you,_ Abby protested.

 _The truth, Abigail._

Abby bit her lip. _I didn't want to disappoint you._

 _You are my daughter_. Gloria leaned forward earnestly. _I'd rather be disappointed than kept in the dark where I can't help you._

Abby blinked back tears. She knew she had hurt Gloria's feelings by waiting so long to tell her that she was pregnant, but she'd just been so confused. Everything in her life was changing and she still hadn't figured out how she was going to manage.

 _Gibbs is as handsome as ever,_ Gloria prodded.

 _Don't_. Abby frowned at her mother. _Don't make more out of this than it really is. He's helping me until I figure out what I'm going to do about Mikel. I told you in the email about that._

 _I see the way he looks at you._

 _Yes, with his eyes._ Abby sighed. Maybe there had been a time when she'd hoped that Gibbs would see her as more than just a close friend, but Abby had officially put that hope to rest when she'd found out just how emotionally wounded Gibbs actually was. Sure, she let her mind drift into 'what ifs' at times, like when they'd shared the bed in Mexico, but she knew nothing would ever come of it.

Gloria shrugged. _It takes more than DNA to be a father, you know._

Abby swallowed. That was another issue. _Gibbs doesn't want to be a father again_.

 _Again?_ Gloria asked, as Abby knew she would.

 _He had a daughter. She was murdered when she was nine, along with his first wife._

Gloria looked understandably shaken. I didn't know.

Most people didn't, Abby told her. _I only found out a few months ago._

 _That explains a great deal,_ Gloria said, a thoughtful look on her face. _Ben always thought there was more to Gibbs past than you told us. He seemed so haunted._

 _I think he still is._ Abby rubbed at her stomach.

 _Can you feel the baby moving yet?_ Gloria asked excitedly.

Abby smiled. _I think so. It's kind of, bubbly I guess._

 _I remember the first time your father felt you kick inside my stomach,_ Gloria told her. _I had never seen him so happy or proud._

Abby felt her mood darken. It was a sudden and painful reminder that she didn't have that in her life, that her baby's father wouldn't be there for moments like that. Even if he had wanted to, she couldn't trust him that much.

 _It might not seem like it at this moment,_ Gloria told her, patting Abby's shoulder softly, _but you are blessed more than most. Your baby will be well loved by his family, both biological and those who choose to be his family._

A nurse knocked on the door jamb.

"I can translate," Abby said, anticipating the nurse's concern when she entered and saw only Gloria in the room.

The woman looked relieved. "Mr. Scuito should be back shortly. They finished with the angriogram and everything went smoothly. He'll be a little sore for a couple days but that's perfectly normal."

"When will we find out the results?" Abby asked, after finishing her translation for Gloria.

"I don't know," the nurse said apologetically. "The radiologist still needs to look over the results and then the cardiologist will be in to explain things and discuss the next steps. I'm almost a hundred percent sure the earliest that would be is tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," Abby told her as she left.

Both Abby and Gloria let out sighs of relief knowing they would see Ben soon. Abby was still nervous about seeing him, but so very happy. She wouldn't be able to really believe he was all right until she actually saw him. However, part of her was still afraid of his reaction to her pregnancy.

It seemed like forever until another nurse appeared, wheeling Ben into the room in a wheelchair. "Here he is," she announced.

 _Ben_ , Gloria signed, clutching her hands to her heart.

Abby felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Daddy." She held back while the nurse helped him into the hospital bed and reattached his IV bag to its stand.

 _Just press the call button if you need anything,_ the nurse signed, and patted Ben gently on the shoulder. _I'll leave you with your family._

Abby moved to stand beside her father. _How are you feeling?_ She asked, never so happy for sign language, as she wasn't sure she'd have been able to get words out through the lump in her throat.

 _I'm fine,_ Ben told her. _Look at you. You've got the glow._

 _I love you._ Abby couldn't help the tear that rolled down her cheek. _You aren't mad?_

Ben motioned for her to come closer, and she perched on the edge of the bed. He patted her stomach and grinned. _Of course not. I don't think I've ever been more proud of you than I am right now._

There was nothing in the world better than your daddy, Abby thought, grinning at him through her tears. Nothing.

* * *

 **A/N:** In case anyone's wondering how Gloria called 911, I wanted to let you know how it could be possible. My aunt used to work for a company that translated calls to and from the deaf. The deaf person would type the message and the operator would read it out loud to the other person, then type the response in. (Don't ask me to remember what it's called, lol) I thought it was really interesting and never forgot. I'm sure it's been made somewhat obsolete by things like smart phones and Skype now, but that's what I had in mind when writing this chapter.

I hope everyone liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think of our change in venue. The original idea for this fic took place entirely in Mexico, but I did too much research and realized there was little to no medical resources in that part of the country. Plus, of course, sooner or later I wanted to have some familiar characters around. Oops, spoilers!

 **Edited 7/11/15-** Fixed missing italics for sign language and a couple minor errors.


	6. Chapter Six: Make it Home

**Chapter Six: Make it Home**

 **Rule #11: When the job is done, walk away.**

Gloria refused to leave her husband's side. Gibbs had seen the look in her eyes and arranged for a cot to be delivered to Ben's room so she could at least get some rest.

After a short dinner with Luka, Mellie, and Sami, Gibbs drove the rental car back to Abby's parents house, where Gloria had insisted that they stay. Abby was strangely quiet, except for when she gave him the directions.

Gibbs pulled into the somewhat suburban neighborhood. He had trouble imagining Abby growing up in a place like this, identical houses and identical yards. When he finally pulled into the address she had given him, he smiled.

The front yard of the house was wider than the rest of the houses on the street, with patchy grass, kids toys, and bikes scattered around. It looked normal, lived in. He even caught a glimpse of the junkyard she'd told him about through the trees in the back.

What wasn't quite 'normal', was the house itself, which had been painted a fairly violent shade of pink. He glanced at Abby who shrugged.

"It's Gloria's favorite color," she said by way of explanation, climbing out of the car.

Gibbs grabbed their bags out of the trunk and followed Abby as she walked around to the side door and climbed the steps. She unlocked the door and walked inside.

He trailed behind. The door entered straight into the kitchen, which was fairly neat except for a few dishes which looked to be leftover from the day of Ben's heart attack. The decor was warm, a little country, simple and comfortable.

He followed Abby into the next room, where she stopped. The living room had a similar decor as the kitchen, but there were dozens of framed photos of the family on every surface and wall.

To his right was a picture of an adolescent Abby, probably around fourteen or so, wearing ripped up jeans and a black Nirvana t-shirt. The scowl on her face was hilarious.

On his left, was the polar opposite photo, a very young Abby, her dark hair in short pigtails that had been curled into fat banana curls and wearing a fluffy pink dress.

Abby turned towards him and he lifted an eyebrow at her. She grimaced when she saw what he had been looking at, then rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised she put this one up," Abby mentioned, looking at the first picture. "Gloria hated my grunge phase."

She had a thoughtful look on her face. "Guess she decided it was better than goth," she murmured, walking away.

Gibbs knew from previous conversations that Abby and her mother had clashed on her unique style of dress over the years. Gloria and Ben both came from fairly conservative backgrounds, but while Ben seemed to find great amusement and some pride in his daughter's life choices, Gloria struggled.

Though quite obviously very proud of her daughter's accomplishments and educational achievements (as evidenced by the many framed photos from Abby's college graduation clustered on an end table near the sofa), Gibbs suspected Gloria was more than a little fearful of Abby's chosen career.

Gloria loved her daughter, of that Gibbs had no doubt, but he also was pretty sure she'd have jumped for joy if Abby told her she was becoming a schoolteacher and never wanted to wear the color black again.

Gibbs could only hope Abby's pregnancy would bring the two closer together instead of pushing them further apart.

Abby motioned for him to follow her upstairs. He continued carrying their bags until Abby stopped at the last doorway at the end of the hallway.

"This is my old room," she told him before opening the door. "Gloria turned it into a guest room, but she left a lot of my old stuff in here."

Gibbs peered into the room. The walls were painted a dark purple shade, which he suspected was a remnant of Abby's teen years. The bedspread and curtains had some kind of purple and yellow flowers on them, which were no doubt Gloria's additions, but there were still little touches of Abby everywhere, like the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling.

Abby tugged her bag out of one of Gibbs' hands and set it inside the room. She looked at him pointedly before taking his bag and placing it beside hers, giving Gibbs no doubt of where she wanted him to stay tonight.

"I don't wanna be alone," she said softly, looking a little hesitant. She was still vulnerable after everything that had happened the past few days.

"Then you don't have to be," Gibbs said, putting an arm around her.

xxx

Despite the familiar settings and a rather pleasant bedmate, Abby didn't sleep very well that night. She found herself tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position.

A problem which Gibbs didn't seem to have, she thought to herself early the next morning. It was pretty annoying. If danger was in the air, a sniffle would wake him up. But knowing that everything was fine, the man slept like a rock.

Abby pushed the covers back and sat up, stretching her legs out in front of her. She briefly considered getting up, but instead decided to enjoy the view.

Gibbs was sleeping on his back, sprawled out, one arm resting over his eyes in an attempt to block out the sun, which shone freely through the window beside him.

Since they'd both packed so lightly, neither had anything to sleep in that night. Abby had put their clothes in the washing machine before they went to bed, and raided her parents room for bed clothes.

Gibbs looked rather sexy in her father's plaid flannel sleep pants, Abby couldn't help thinking. She couldn't decide if it was weird or just really hot.

He didn't have a shirt on which gave her an excellent chance to observe his lean physique. He had just enough hair on his chest to be manly, but not enough to require any Sasquatch comparisons.

She couldn't help noticing that the sleep pants were riding rather low, exposing his hipbones and… wait. What was that? She leaned closer and squinted at the waistband. That looked like ink.

She sat up straight, staring at Gibbs in shock. "You've been holding out on me," she murmured, wondering if she could get away with tugging the waistband down just a tiny bit further without exposing anything too scandalous.

"Like what you see?" Gibbs voice grumbled, startling her backwards. He moved the arm covering his eyes and turned towards her.

She was too excited to be embarrassed that she'd been caught looking. "You have a tattoo," she announced, pointing accusingly at him.

"Never said I didn't," Gibbs replied.

Abby grinned. "I can't believe you never told me!"

Gibbs propped himself up on his elbows. "You didn't ask," he said cheekily.

"I wanna see." Abby reached for the waistband but he caught her wrists in his hands before she reached her target.

"C'mon," she pleaded, giggling despite herself. "You have to let me see!"

Gibbs heaved a heavy sigh. "You're not gonna let this go unless I show you."

"Nope." Abby bounced in place on the bed, grinning from ear to ear. "You've seen mine, I wanna see yours."

Sighing again, Gibbs reached down and adjusted the waistband of the flannel pants further down on one side so she could see the small blue outline.

She leaned forward, squinting so close to his body that Gibbs inhaled sharply. She glanced up at his face. "Is that a bulldog? You got a bulldog tattooed on your hip?"

Gibbs grunted.

She leaned closer. "USMC, oh I get it! It's the Devil Dog! The Marine Corp mascot, right?"

Gibbs nodded.

"It's so cute." She giggled at the annoyed expression on his face. "It even has a little spiked collar, like Bert."

"Isn't supposed to be cute," he grumbled.

Abby sat up, still grinning at him. "I can't believe you kept this a secret from me! After all those times I asked you for advice on what tat to get next!"

Gibbs pulled his pants back up, probably to stop her from staring, which she couldn't really help doing.

"How long have you had it?"

"Awhile."

Abby narrowed her eyes.

"Got it my first year as a Marine."

"Any others I don't know about?" Abby snapped his waistband playfully, an evil grin on her face. Somehow she had never in a millions years imagined Gibbs with a tattoo, but she sure would from now on.

"One was more than enough," Gibbs says.

"It is not!" Abby exclaims. "Tattoos are like pistachios, you can't have just one."

Gibbs grabbed her wrist and traced the infinity symbol she had there. "I think you've got enough for the two of us."

"And you haven't even seen them all." Abby grinned wickedly and jumped off the bed, leaving Gibbs with a slightly stunned look on his face. It was so seldom that she could surprise him, she really was savoring the moment.

"I'm hungry." Abby tugged on the bottom of the blue shirt she had on. She'd found some of her old clothes in the closet to wear to bed, but they definitely did not fit her changing body. The shorts fit as long as she didn't try and pull them over her stomach at all, and the shirt didn't meet the shorts when stretched over her burgeoning bustline and belly.

Gibbs got up, pulling on the white t-shirt he'd chosen not to sleep in. Abby was a little sorry to see it go on, but she turned to hide her reaction.

"You want some scrambled eggs?" she asked, pausing in the doorway on her way out.

"You don't have to cook for me." The way Gibbs hair was sticking straight up made Abby have to stifle another giggle. Between that and the beard he'd been working on, he looked like a mountain man, especially in plaid pants.

"I'm not," she clarified, peering over her shoulder. "I'm offering to crack a few extra eggs. You'll have to make your own toast if you can handle it, Gunny."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Abigail."

"Yes, sir!" She saluted him, as always using the wrong hand because it was fun to bother him.

xxx

Gibbs was happy to see Abby's mood was improved that morning, although he was still a bit uncomfortable with her eager discovery of his tattoo. Truthfully, he'd been nineteen and very, very drunk when he'd gotten it, and most days he was just thankful it wasn't on his butt.

He wasn't sure what was more disarming, waking up in Abby's arms as he'd done the day before, or this morning's open perusal of his body. Always bold, Abby wasn't holding back at all anymore.

That was causing more than a few uneasy feelings to crop up in Gibbs' gut. The past few weeks had passed in what seemed like a flash and their relationship had evolved more than he'd expected in such a short amount of time. Nothing was as cut and dry anymore and that both intrigued and concerned him.

He used the bathroom, taking the time to brush his teeth before following Abby downstairs. They had made plans to meet Luka and Mellie at the hospital around ten, so there was plenty of time to have breakfast and get ready.

Gibbs had pulled Luka aside at dinner the night before to ask him a favor. Luka had agreed to pick up a disposable cell phone the next morning so Gibbs could keep in touch with McGee. Luka was pleased to hear that they were looking out for Abby and keeping tabs on Mikel.

McGee had uncovered some disturbing things in Mikel's history. Apparently Abby was not the only girl who'd gotten a restraining order against him. In fact, of the two other restraining orders McGee found against him, one had been taken out when he was only sixteen. Apparently he'd even threatened once to kill himself when a girl from his high school didn't return his affections.

His juvenile record consisted of breaking and entering, possession of stolen property, joy riding, and one case of suspected animal cruelty.

When pressed, Abby's friend Carol admitted to McGee that Abby had told her some things about Mikel, including that he'd broken into her apartment.

Gibbs wasn't thrilled Abby was even in the same country as this guy, but being with her was enabling him to continue the role of her protector.

His brain had been working in constant overdrive the past few weeks trying to figure out ways to keep Abby and her baby safe. The restraining order was not enough, especially now that Mikel knew she was pregnant. He'd told McGee to put a tail on Mawher the second he even suspected he was coming after after Abby.

Gibbs wasn't taking any chances.

They were going to have to have some serious talks, the two of them. Right now it was being put off by her father's health problems, but it was on Gibbs' mind almost constantly.

He was struggling with his feelings for Abby. His desperate attempts to keep things platonic seemed to not be enough anymore. He was happy to comfort her, but sharing a bed was starting to feel way too good.

And that outfit she was wearing. Since Gibbs hadn't been around when Shannon was pregnant with Kelly, he wasn't sure if it was normal to find a woman so incredibly attractive when she was visibly pregnant. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, especially when her small tummy was poking out from between her shorts and a very tight t-shirt.

Gibbs was just struggling. Things seemed to be changing left and right and he couldn't quite keep up with them. He wasn't sure if he should be fighting these feelings, which was his first inclination, or embracing them, as Franks had made it abundantly clear he thought Gibbs should.

Gibbs paused when he reached the kitchen. Abby was bustling around, singing under her breath, as she scrambled eggs. She was wielding the spatula as a microphone when not poking at the eggs and shaking her hips as she sang.

He swallowed. Nope, Abby wasn't making things easy on him.

"Gibbs!" Abby twirled around, pointing with the spatula. "Aha! I knew it was you. I'm starting to get your spidey sense, or should I call it a Gibbs sense… either way I knew it!"

She looked so proud of herself Gibbs couldn't help but smile. "Apparently you did."

Abby turned back to the eggs. "I've decided I'm not going to think about anything unpleasant this morning. I'm just going to think good thoughts about good things and then everything will be all right."

"Okay." Gibbs squeezed her shoulder. He went in search of bread and a toaster and silently toasted and buttered bread while Abby finished the eggs.

In not long at all, he and Abby were seated at the kitchen table, each with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. Abby was drowning her eggs in ketchup while Gibbs watched in amusement.

Gibbs took a bite of his toast and then noticed Abby wasn't eating. "What's wrong, Abbs?"

"Nothing." She sighed. "This would be better with bacon."

"Most things would be," Gibbs quipped.

Abby took a bite of her eggs and chewed slowly. "Can we go get bacon later?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Why not?"

Abby beamed, then her face fell.

Gibbs nudged her foot under the table and gave her a look, indicating he wanted to know why she was upset.

"I had an unpleasant thought." Abby took a sip of her glass of orange juice. "I don't want to have anymore unpleasant thoughts. I'm sick of unpleasant thoughts. Gibbs, tell me something happy."

"We're getting bacon later?" Gibbs attempted for her.

Abby reached across the table and laced their fingers together. "You don't think I'm stupid for getting pregnant, do you?" she asked suddenly.

Gibbs hadn't been expecting a question like that. "Nah," he told her honestly. "It might not be the best of timing, but that doesn't mean you're stupid. Sometimes this stuff just happens."

"I feel stupid sometimes," she admitted.

Gibbs squeezed her hand. "Everyone feels stupid sometimes. But a baby's always a blessing, no matter the circumstances."

xxx

Luka had to admit, he really liked Leroy Jethro Gibbs. And he'd been all poised to hate the guy, quite honestly. Years of hearing his big sister wax poetical about some Navy guy who'd had three wives and Luka was on edge, prepared to protect her.

From what, he wasn't sure. Maybe herself.

He'd started worrying about this Mikel guy two months ago when Abby called up one night and told him she was pregnant. He'd heard the fear in her voice, even if she wouldn't tell him everything. All she'd say was that he was an ex-boyfriend, and that things hadn't ended well.

Luka had tried to search out more information on his own, but he wasn't a computer wiz like Abby. Mellie was a little better, but he didn't want to burden her with keeping a secret from his parents.

When Abby told Luka she was going to Mexico to visit Gibbs, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to think. Then she'd refused to tell him when she was coming back, and he'd been downright scared. He'd never known Abby to be scared enough of something to run, and she sure was running this time.

But her last email, the one she'd sent after confiding in Gibbs, he'd found himself changing his mind. He could tell by her words what an impact just a couple weeks with Gibbs had been on her. She sounded more confident, less afraid. She had promised him that Gibbs wouldn't let anything happen to her and this time Luka believed it.

Shortly afterward their father had his heart attack. It had taken Luka two hours of phone calls to finally get through to her ex-boyfriend Timothy McGee, who had given over the number he had for Gibbs in Mexico.

Gibbs had his sister home in less than twenty-four hours.

He hadn't dismissed Luka when he'd mentioned that he was worried about her. He'd promised to explain everything when they arrived, and he had.

Luka was so relieved to finally be doing something for his sister, he agreed to quietly pick up a cell phone for Gibbs on his way to the hospital the next morning. For some reason Gibbs didn't want to borrow Abby's phone and said he needed to call McGee. Luka suspected that it had something to do with Mikel. Maybe he didn't want Abby to worry.

Luka had carefully planned to pull over for gas at a station he knew would have prepaid cell phones in stock. That way he would be able to avoid explaining to Mellie what it was all about. Gibbs had made it seem like this needed to be kept on the down low, and Luka didn't want to tell Mellie until he knew everything, until he knew what they could do for Abby.

Now, sitting at a table in the hospital cafeteria while Gibbs jabbed impatiently at cell phone buttons, Luka had an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh. Now this was the man his sister had been telling him about over the past few years. This was the real Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Here, let me," Luka offered, taking the cell phone away before Gibbs could smash it to smithereens. Abby had mentioned Gibbs lack of technological expertise, as well as his propensity for breaking phones.

Luka punched in McGee's number as Gibbs dictated it, putting the phone on speaker and setting it in the middle of the table in front of them.

The cafeteria was almost empty, too early for lunch and too late for breakfast. Only a couple tired looking nurses were eating off in one corner. He and Gibbs leaned forward towards the phone and listened to it ring four times before McGee answered the call.

"Hello?" McGee sounded puzzled, no doubt by the unfamiliar number on his caller ID.

"Where's Mawher?" Gibbs demanded, loud enough to make the nurses on the other side of the room glance nervously in their direction. Luka tried to give them a comforting smile, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

"Gibbs?"

"No, it's the Tooth Fairy," Gibbs fairly growled.

"Uh, sorry Boss. I didn't recognize the number." McGee sounded nervous, not that Luka blamed him. Gibbs tone had him feeling a little nervous himself.

"Yeah, well put it in your book thingy because I'll be using this number from now on. I want to know what Mawher's been doing."

There was the distinct sound of computer keys clacking in the background. "He had a couple jobs with the local cops yesterday that kept him busy until almost nine. After that he stopped for a pizza and rented a movie on pay per view," McGee told them. "He hasn't used his cell phone or his debit card yet this morning, which isn't unusual. It's Sunday," McGee added, almost as an afterthought.

Luka was actually surprised about that himself. He'd missed a day somewhere during this whole mess, because he could have sworn it was Saturday. Oh. That explained why Mellie had dropped Sami off at her friend Alice's house and not her piano lesson. Alice's family would make sure she got to Sunday School since the rest of them obviously weren't going to be at Church that morning.

"Find out anything useful?" Gibbs wanted to know.

McGee hesitated, which predictably didn't go over well.

"What, McGee?" Gibbs snapped, making the nurses nervous again.

Luka tried not to flinch. No wonder people were afraid of Gibbs. He was getting nervous and he hadn't done anything.

"Mawher made some charges last week at both a private investigator and a lawyer's office. I think he's trying to find Abby."

Gibbs smashed his fist against the table, making both the cell phone and Luka jump. He took a deep breath. "What was he doing at the lawyer's office?"

"I'm not sure," McGee said honestly. "I tried to talk to the guy but attorney client privilege just got in the way. It looks like they mostly do family law."

"Family law?"

"Uh, yeah. Stuff like divorces and-"

"Custody fights." Luka's jaw dropped as he looked over at Gibbs. "He's filing for custody."

"Or visitation." Gibbs took a deep breath. "McGee, I want you to keep an eye on any documents filed with the court system that have either Mawher or Abby's names on them. And watch the private investigator, don't let him tell Mawher where Abby's at. Get Tony and Ziva involved if you have to." Gibbs flipped the phone shut and looked across the table at Luka.

"It's worse than I thought, isn't it." Gibbs hadn't told him a lot about this Mikel Mawher person, just that his sister had gotten a restraining order against him and that he was bad news.

"It's not good," Gibbs admitted.

"Is she going to be able to go home?" Luka worried.

Gibbs seemed to be thinking this over. "I'm sure she'll want to, but if Mawher is going to keep harassing her… I don't know. I'd keep her with me in Mexico for awhile longer but there isn't a decent hospital within a couple hours."

"I wondered." Luka ran a hand through his hair. "She's gonna be pretty mad at you for digging around in her life."

"She'll get over it," was Gibbs frank response.

Luka chuckled. "Never thought I'd meet the day when my sister met her match. I don't know what your intentions are towards her, but I'm glad she has you."

"My intentions are to keep her safe," Gibbs said. "No matter what she says or how loudly she complains."

xxx

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctor was in talking with Gloria and Ben, and an interpreter was making sure they understood everything. Abby wanted to just burst in with questions and demand answers, but instead she acted like a grown up and waited in the hallway with Luka, Gibbs, and Mellie.

"You want some coffee?" Mellie asked Abby after Luka and Gibbs said they were going to take a walk. "We could go grab some from down the hall."

Abby shook her head. "Decaf doesn't taste right, and I can't have caffeine. I know they say it's okay to have coffee when you're pregnant now, but I'm not exactly known for drinking a reasonable amount of the stuff, so it's probably better I just stay away."

Mellie laughed. "So I've heard. Luka's told me some epic stories about your caffeine highs."

"All probably true, sad to say." Abby leaned against the wall. "I just hate all this waiting. I just want someone to tell me my dad's gonna be all right."

"The waiting really sucks," Mellie agreed. "When Luka had his gallbladder out last year I was ready to charge into the operating room and demand to know exactly what was going on."

"Really?" Abby asked. "You seemed so calm and put together when you called me. I didn't even realize you were nervous."

"I wasn't just nervous, I was downright terrified," Mellie admitted. "I'm used to Luka being the calm one. I just felt so alone. I mean, your parents were there, but I'm still bad enough enough at signing to barely be able to talk about more than the basics. You know, Sami was actually interpreting for me the other day."

"Smart kid." Abby gave a tiny smile. "I used to do that for Gloria all the time, at things like parent teacher conferences. Well, until my fourth grade teacher realized I wasn't telling Gloria any of the negative stuff she said."

"Really? I can't believe you did that."

"Yeah, well." Abby shrugged. "I knew I had the upper hand because Gloria wasn't good at lip reading and Ben usually had to work late those nights. When the teacher figured it out she made the school hire an interpreter. By the time Luka was in school I'd stopped doing stuff like that. Besides, I didn't mind telling all the bad stuff he did."

Mellie smiled. "It must have been hard for you before Luka was born, being the only hearing person in the family."

"Sometimes," Abby admitted. "Sometimes I felt like I grew up on a different planet than anyone else. But I had great parents and a good childhood. And then I got Luka, who I thought was my very own baby doll to play with."

"He always tells me you were like a second mom to him," Mellie told her. "It's how I know you're going to be an amazing mom to this baby."

Abby hugged her stomach. "God I hope so. This kid has enough against him or her, I don't want to screw anything up."

"Are you going to find out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"I want to," Abby told her. "I had an appointment for an ultrasound this month but I canceled it when I went to Mexico. I'd been talking to a midwife and she said as long as nothing changed I should be okay skipping one appointment."

"A midwife? Does that mean you're planning a home birth?"

Abby shrugged. "I'm not really sure anymore. It's what I'd like, but I don't exactly have a home right now."

"What do you mean, you don't have a home?" Gibbs voice boomed from behind her.

Abby wrinkled her nose. "I sort of gave up my apartment," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him.

Mellie slid out of the way and Gibbs stood right in front of Abby. "When?"

"A couple months ago," she mumbled, staring at the floor, feeling a bit like a little kid being given a lecture.

"A couple months ago?" Gibbs exploded. A passing nurse shot him a dirty look and he lowered his voice. "Where were you staying before you came to Mexico?"

Abby blushed. "Your house."

"My house?" Gibbs repeated.

"I kinda broke in," Abby admitted. "Although technically it wasn't breaking in because you didn't leave it locked so it was just sort of walking in."

Gibbs took a deep breath, looking very much like he wanted to head slap someone right now. "What about all your stuff?"

"Storage." Abby shrugged. "It's not that big a deal, Gibbs."

Gibbs opened his mouth, probably to disagree loudly with her, when the door to Ben's room opened and two men exited, one obviously the doctor.

"We'll finish this later," Gibbs whispered into Abby's ear, making her shiver, as she turned to walk in the room. "You can count on it."

 **A/N:** For those of you who are interested, the current word count for this story is at around 75,000 (making this the longest thing I've ever written, surpassing The Middle Ground) and I'm still not completely finished. I've added at least one chapter to my 17 chapter estimate. The currently planned scenes are all at least partially written. The next chapter needs expansion, but after that nothing needs serious work until Chapter 14, so updates should continue to be weekly.

I don't have a beta, so hopefully I haven't missed any big mistakes. I try to read over each chapter at least twice after edits, so hopefully it's good. Hope everyone's still enjoying the ride!


	7. Chapter Seven: Revelations

**Chapter Seven: Revelations**

 **Rule #15: Always work as a team.**

Abby nearly collapsed against Gibbs in relief when she found out Ben didn't need surgery after all. He rubbed her upper arms while she signed frantically to her parents, making sure she hadn't missed anything.

The tests had shown that Ben would need one or two stents placed in his arteries, not open heart surgery as his first doctor had predicted. They had been pleased to find less blockage than originally suspected.

Gibbs wasn't sure who looked more relieved, Abby and Gloria, or Ben.

Luka was just standing to the side, hugging Mellie and 'listening' to everything. Luka had told Gibbs that Mellie didn't speak sign language very well, but you didn't need to be fluent to understand the happiness that was flying around the room. Luka could tell her the details later.

"Of course I'm staying until you have the surgery," Abby signed and spoke simultaneously. "I don't have anywhere more important to be."

 _What about Gibbs?_ Gloria asked.

"Gibbs can leave if he wants." Abby glanced back at him. "But I'm staying until I know everything is all right.

Gibbs reached around Abby. _Not going anywhere_ , he signed simply. He'd left Abby that summer when she needed him, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

It surprised him that Abby thought he'd just leave her there. He must have really screwed things up when he left for Mexico, even more than he had realized. But Abby was important to him, more important than even he had realized until this summer.

Abby had brought happiness back into his life. She'd been a breeze of fresh air in the dank darkness of his life. She had done what his three ex-wives had never been able to do.

She made him happy.

An idea popped into his head just then, something that might be able to help Abby keep Mawher away from her and her baby. It was possibly the craziest thing Gibbs had ever considered doing, but that didn't stop him from making a mental note to ask McGee about the feasibility of such an action.

But first, he had something to ask Mellie about.

After an hour or two, Gloria kicked them all out, saying there was no reason they all had to hang around all day now that they knew everything was going to be all right.

 _Go get lunch. Do some shopping_ , she had signed. _I'll text if I need anyone._

I'm not leaving you here alone, Abby was signing furiously when Gibbs caught Mellie's eye and motioned towards the hallway.

He managed to slip out without Abby noticing, Mellie following closely behind him. He shut the door quietly behind them.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, looking concerned. "Everyone looked happy, did I miss something?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Everything's fine in there. I just needed to ask you something."

"Oh." Mellie smiled. "Ask away then."

"Wanted to know the name of the doctor you used when you were pregnant with Sami."

Gibbs had been thinking about this ever since they'd arrived back in the states, but hearing that Abby had missed an appointment brought it to the top of his priorities. If they were going to stay until Ben had his procedure this couldn't wait.

Mellie nodded. "Sure. I can get you her number too. She's great, but super busy. I don't know if you'll be able to get an appointment last minute."

"I'm very persuasive," Gibbs reassured her.

"I'm sure you are." Mellie smiled.

She promised get him the number as soon as she could and the two slipped back into the hospital room without anyone noticing. Abby was still arguing furiously with her mother via sign language and Luka looked to be enjoying himself immensely.

"I've missed this," he said with a grin as Gibbs stood beside him. "Watching them fight is one of my favorite childhood memories."

Gibbs glanced across the room at Ben, who had a similarly amused expression on his face. Gibbs could barely follow the conversation himself, the two were signing so fast. He wondered idly if either one of them was paying attention to the other person speaking, or if they were just continuing on without pause.

When the flurry of hands began to slow slightly, Gibbs stepped forward and placed his hands over Abby's, stopping the conversation in it's tracks.

She frowned up at him as he signed to Gloria. _I'll take her out to lunch, but I can't promise to keep her away all day._

 _I can live with that._

"Live with what?" Abby only caught the last bit of their exchange. "Gibbs! What did you say to her!"

Gibbs winked at Gloria and began steering Abby towards the door. "I'll tell you all about it at lunch."

They were halfway down the hall when the remaining members of the room heard her exclaim, "Wait, lunch?"

xxx

The restaurant Gibbs took her for lunch had really good food, but Abby had not forgotten that he had conspired with her mother on getting her out of the hospital.

She ate her sandwich silently, glaring up at Gibbs from time to time so he wouldn't get too comfortable.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be having the desired effect as Gibbs had a slight smile on his face. He looked smug and that made Abby feel cranky.

"Luka told me Sami has a piano recital next week," he remarked casually, stealing one of Abby's French fries. "She's hoping her favorite aunt will be there."

"I'm her only aunt," Abby grumbled with her mouth half full.

"Told him we'd be there." Gibbs leaned back in the booth casually. "We can head back to D.C. a day or so after."

"Head back to D.C.?" Abby set down her sandwich. "And when exactly did we decide we were doing that?"

Gibbs was still nonplussed. "Can't go back to Mexico, Abby."

"And why not?" she demanded to know.

"Yer pregnant."

"I'm fairly certain there are pregnant women in Mexico, Gibbs."

"There isn't a hospital within two hours of El Rosario, Abbs. That's too big of a risk."

"That's not your decision!" Abby exclaimed. She realized just how loud she had been getting when she noticed the people at the next table staring. She lowered her voice. "You don't get to control my life, Gibbs."

"Not trying to control it," he told her.

She sighed. "I don't even know if I can go back. What about Mikel?"

"You leave that bastard to me." Gibbs leaned forward. "We can stay here if you want. Just figured you'd want to go home."

She did kind of want to go home. She missed her friends, missed Tony and McGee and Ziva. Louisiana hadn't been her home for a long time.

Not to mention she and Gloria would probably kill each other if she was here for the next four months.

"I don't want to stay here," she said finally, mentally giving up on fighting him. "You're right, I can't hide in Mexico forever. I'm sure you've got McGee getting my restraining order extended."

If Gibbs was surprised that she had guessed he'd been talking to McGee, he didn't show it.

"But I want to stay at least until my dad comes come."

Gibbs nodded. "Done."

"And not until after Sami's recital," she added.

"Of course." He smiled at her. "That can be arranged."

xxx

McGee was working late at NCIS that night when another call from Gibbs came in. He wrinkled his nose when he saw the number on the screen. He didn't have much of anything new to tell Gibbs, and definitely nothing good.

He picked up his phone and held it up to his ear. "Hey Gibbs." He tried not to sound like he'd been dreading the call. "How's Abby's dad doing?"

"They're putting in the stents tomorrow afternoon. Doctor seems to think he'll be fine after that. Could be home as early as Wednesday."

"That's great," McGee said sincerely. He knew how much Abby loved her dad, she'd have been heartbroken if he wasn't going to be okay.

"Need you to check on some laws for me."

"Okay." McGee pulled up a blank web browser didn't sound too bad. "What kind of laws?"

"I want to know if someone can challenge a woman for custody of her baby if she's married to someone else when it's born."

McGee continued typing, but his brain took a coffee break. Was Gibbs asking what he thought he was asking?

"Um." McGee swallowed and tried to focus on the words on the screen.

"An old buddy of mine once came back from being deployed for over a year and his wife was eight months pregnant. They got divorced after the baby was born and the judge said it didn't matter if the baby was his or not; they were married when the baby was born, legally he was the father."

"It does look as if that's the case in some states." McGee only glanced up when Ziva came back from harassing Shawn, Abby's replacement. Shawn was an excellent scientist, nearly as dedicated and capable as Abby, but not nearly as tenacious. Ziva liked to hover over him at least once a week and make the poor guy sweat.

As usual, Ziva seemed to sense when something was wrong and came over to McGee's desk, leaning against the desk and peering over his shoulder at the documents he had pulled up. "The law is a little dicier in the District of Columbia," McGee continued, "but in Virginia and Maryland both, the husband of the mother is assumed to be the father of the child and automatically put on the birth certificate."

McGee decided to stop beating around the bush. "Mawher could still contest custody," he told Gibbs simply, "but a marriage would certainly make things more difficult and take more time."

Ziva's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"Time could help," Gibbs said after a minute.

"I'm not totally sure, but some places might consider it fraud," McGee added hesitantly. "To sign a birth certificate knowing full well you aren't the father."

"Don't really care," was Gibbs response. "Thanks, McGee." He was gone before McGee could reply.

He hung up the phone, frowning down at his keyboard.

"Are you all right?" Ziva asked, tilting her head to look at his expression.

He shrugged. "I think so." He blinked several times. "I just wasn't expecting that."

"Gibbs has always cared a great deal about Abby, yes? And he wants to keep her safe?"

"Well, yeah." McGee turned to meet Ziva's gaze. "But I've got a funny feeling this isn't all just about Abby."

"The loss of his wife and daughter, perhaps?" Ziva straightened up and put her hands in her pockets. "Perhaps Gibbs is lonely."

"I didn't think Gibbs got lonely," McGee replied.

Ziva rested a hand on his shoulder. "A man who marries and divorces three times has gotten lonely. Are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" McGee wasn't surprised at the question, but he was a little surprised that it came from Ziva. "Not really. It's been a long time since Abby and I were together. We've been friends longer than we were ever a couple. I guess I'm just concerned."

"About what?"

McGee looked up at Ziva. "Abby once confessed to me that she had a crush on Gibbs when she first started working here. What if he's just trying to protect her but it's more than that for her?"

"I do not think Gibbs will hurt her." Ziva let her hand drop off his shoulder. "In fact, I think the two of them being together just might keep him sane."

xxx

"Mellie and I were going to go do some shopping tomorrow," Abby told Gibbs as she put the dishes from their dinner in the dishwasher. It had been three days since they'd learned the results of Ben's tests, and things were finally settling down.

The day after Ben's procedure, he'd had a couple minor complications. Despite that, he was due to be home by the end of the week.

She and Gibbs had settled into a routine the past few days. They spent mornings at the hospital, then Gibbs and Gloria would team up against her and insist she go home for lunch and a nap, which she would protest against, but not too hard because she was pretty sleepy by then. They usually ended up back at the hospital for a couple hours and either Abby would cook dinner or they'd eat at Luka and Mellie's apartment.

Sometimes Gibbs whittled in the evenings. He'd apparently thrown a few smaller pieces of his driftwood collection in his bag when they'd left. He confiscated one of Ben's Swiss Army knives and had been intently working on something, although he wouldn't let Abby look.

Distracted by everything that had been happening, Abby had been washing the few pieces of clothing they'd brought with them nearly every day and she was starting to get really sick of looking at the same three shirts. Not to mention the fact that even her looser clothes were starting to get too tight to wear anymore.

"As long as you're back by three," was Gibbs reply.

Abby paused, gripping the fork still in her hand. "What's going on at three?" Had she forgotten something going on at the hospital?

Gibbs was calmly reading the paper from his seat at the kitchen table. "You have a doctor's appointment."

Abby frowned. "Since when?" She put the fork where it went and after adding soap, closed the dishwasher.

"Since I made you one."

"You made me a doctor's appointment." Abby's eyes narrowed and she leaned back against the counter. "What for?"

Gibbs glanced up from the paper. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at her stomach, then back to her.

Abby gritted her teeth, trying very hard not to become angry with him. "Traditionally, the person who needs the appointment makes the appointment."

"When did you make the appointment for?" Gibbs asked, returning to the paper.

Marching across the kitchen floor, Abby snatched the paper out of his hands and threw it on the table. "You had no right to do that!"

"Someone's gotta take care of you." Gibbs glanced down. "The two of you."

Abby put her arms protectively over her stomach. "I can take care of myself and this baby just fine without your interference."

Gibbs stood up, slowly, his icy blue eyes drilling holes into hers. "You're going to the appointment," he stated slowly and calmly.

Abby crossed her arms. "And who's gonna make me?" she demanded to know.

He simply raised his eyebrows and continued staring at her.

"I was going to make an appointment when I got back home."

"I thought you didn't have a home."

"Don't bait me, Gibbs!" Abby took a step away from him. "I'm not a child, I can take care of myself!" She had an urge to stick her tongue out at him, but wasn't sure if he'd view it as childish or as a challenge.

Not even an eyebrow twitch.

"I don't even know who this doctor is," she said finally, when it became clear Gibbs wasn't going to respond to her outrage.

"She comes highly recommended."

"By who?" Abby furrowed her forehead.

"Mellie."

Well, damn. Abby felt her anger fizzling somewhat. This wasn't just an ambush, it was an intervention. Luka was probably involved too.

"You need regular prenatal care," Gibbs said, his voice low and husky. "I won't let anything happen to either of you."

"I know." Abby unfolded her arms and sighed. "Will you come with me?" she asked finally.

Gibbs looked a little surprised, but recovered fast. "If you really want me there."

Abby nodded. "I don't wanna be alone."

Gibbs pulled her into his arms. "Told you, Abbs, I won't leave you alone. Not now, not ever."

 _You left me alone when you went to Mexico_ , she thought, but buried the knee jerk reaction deep inside her. She didn't want to make him feel guilty, she really didn't. All Abby wanted was to be safe, and Gibbs made her feel safe.

"Nurse said they might do an ultrasound," Gibbs told her, probably trying to distract her.

It worked. "Really?" Abby pulled back and looked him in the eye. She'd heard the baby's heartbeat but she hadn't had a chance for an ultrasound before she'd left for Mexico. Her first one had been scheduled for the appointment she skipped.

Gibbs nodded. "That's what she said."

Abby grinned. "That means I'll probably be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

One side of Gibbs mouth titled slightly upward.

"Did Shannon find out? If she was having a boy or a girl?" Abby asked softly, a little worried about Gibbs' reaction.

His eyes darkened and his tiny smile went away, but Gibbs didn't seem angry. "Said she wanted it to be a surprise," he said gruffly.

"Oh." Abby bit her lip. "I wasn't sure I wanted to at first, but I'm lousy at waiting. And I figure it's a surprise either way, I just get to peek ahead of time and find out the surprise earlier."

Gibbs kissed her on the forehead and backed away. "You do whatever you want to."

"No opinion?" she called after him, trying not to sound too desperate.

Gibbs paused in the doorway of the kitchen. "Didn't think patience was one of your good points."

"Don't challenge me!" Abby laughed. He was right. She was way too impatient to wait. She was dying to know if the baby growing inside her was a little girl or a little boy.

Suddenly, she wasn't so mad at him for making the appointment. Now, she was kind of excited.

xxx

Gibbs spent a very long time that night thinking about what McGee had told him. Abby had been too busy worrying about Ben the past few days to worry about Mawher, but Gibbs hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

If Mawher filed for custody, Abby was going to freak out. She didn't need that kind of stress. It wasn't good for her, or the baby. And so far, McGee hadn't been able to find anything on Mawher that could either get him put away or be enough of a bargaining chip against a judge awarding visitation.

Apparently Mawher's investigator had started digging into Abby's life. McGee told him when they spoke the day before that several people at NCIS had been approached by the investigator. Ziva agreed to an interview just to see if she could find out what the man was looking for, but that wouldn't be until next week.

Gibbs wasn't willing to wait that long.

He'd been dead serious when he asked McGee about the legality of Abby getting married. If they were been in DC right now he might have been dumb enough to suggest McGee as the groom, but they weren't, and he wasn't.

Gibbs knew he wasn't much of a catch these days. Not many women dreamed of being a man's fifth wife, but he loved Abby. He wanted to take care of her.

If she'd let him.

He wasn't surprised that she'd been angry about the appointment. Gibbs had expected that. Actually, he'd expected her to be a little angrier, maybe to have fought a little longer.

Strangely, the pregnancy seemed to be mellowing her.

If he was honest with himself, Abby wasn't the only one he wanted to take care of. Observing the changes in Abby's body the past month had really been effecting him. He'd always known he'd missed a lot by being deployed while Shannon was pregnant with Kelly, but he couldn't have imagined just how much he'd missed until he saw it for himself.

Abby rubbed her stomach when she didn't know people were watching. He knew from her statements that it was when the baby was moving, which according to her, still felt like popcorn popping. Once she'd compared it to a goldfish swimming in a tank.

She said she couldn't feel anything from the outside yet. Gibbs found himself looking forward to that time, which implied that he would be around.

He supposed it was pretty much a given now that he wasn't going back to Mexico, at least not for awhile, and not for long. Even if Abby wanted to stay in Louisiana, he had no intention of leaving her. Not unless she asked him to, and even then it wasn't likely.

He was going to have to have a serious conversation with Abby after her appointment. All the planning in the world wouldn't do any good if she wouldn't go along with it. While his plan seemed to make perfect sense in his head, Abby might disagree. She might not want to link herself to him, not even temporarily.

Although, if Gibbs was honest with himself, he wasn't thinking about this being a temporary situation. If Abby agreed, he couldn't see himself letting her go, not unless she asked. He would do everything in his power to make her happy, to make her stay.

He hadn't tried enough with his ex-wives, Gibbs knew that. He'd either been too wrapped up in his own grief over losing Shannon and Kelly or too wrapped up in work to really try. He'd let them drift away, and no matter how angry he was when they left, or cheated, he didn't blame them.

He would've left him too.

But with Abby, it was different. Abby wouldn't let him hide away in his basement and ignore her, even if he tried. She'd respect it if he got carried away in work, although now that he was retired, he suspected it would be more likely the other way around.

Abby was kinda perfect for him when he thought about it.

He continued to plan as he got ready for bed that night. Gibbs would talk to Ben tomorrow. Not for permission, because Gibbs didn't need that. No, he simply wanted to let Ben know his intentions, so it wouldn't be a surprise to him if Abby accepted. With any luck, he'd be able to speak to him without Gloria there.

Gibbs liked Gloria, he really did, but she still had some reservations about Abby's lifestyle that Gibbs didn't want to come up just yet. Abby needed to know that Gibbs had no intention of changing her, he simply wanted to support her.

Gibbs slid between the sheets, dressed in only a pair of boxers, because he needed to do laundry again. Maybe Abby would pick up a couple shirts for him while she was shopping. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. She'd probably buy him something black with a crazy design on it from one of the shops she liked. And he'd probably wear the darn thing, even if only to bed, because it would make her smile.

He lay silently in the dark, just thinking quietly until Abby came up to bed. He listened to her undress, trying not to let his mind conjure up images of the process, and remained perfectly still as she got into the bed beside him.

Abby curled around his body, following the warmth like a heat seeking missile. And as much as Gibbs tried not to, all he could think was how badly he wanted this to be the norm.

For the rest of their lives.

xxx

Abby sat uncomfortably in the waiting room next to Gibbs. She missed her midwife, who she'd known even before her pregnancy because the woman worked with her gynecologist. She'd even rather be seeing him than some stranger. It just wasn't natural to let someone you didn't know peek at your lady parts.

She looked around the room. Half the women there seemed to be staring at her and Gibbs. She'd been in a lot better of a mood that morning when she got dressed in a short black skirt from her parents house that miraculously still fit her (thanks in no small part to the Elastic Waistband That Could), a new black tank top and Gibbs red sweatshirt (that she had no intention of ever giving back). Her shoes were pretty tame, just basic black Mary Jane platforms, dressed up with a pair of black and white striped knee socks. In a hurry, she'd done quick 'Laura Ingalls' braids to her hair.

Shopping with Mellie had been lots of fun. Sami was in school for the day, so it was just the two of them who hit the mall, and hit it hard. After trying on a few garments in the mall's two maternity stores (while Mellie laughed hysterically) Abby vetoed the whole 'maternity' clothes idea, and started just trying on stretchy things in bigger sizes than she usually did.

Yoga pants and leggings were going to be her new best friend. Basically anything with lycra in it.

The best part about not working anymore was never having to put on a court suit, never needing to pretend to be someone else. Just because she was pregnant, that didn't mean she had to wear florals and pastels, as Mellie was quick to point out. After lunch they went back to the maternity stores and Abby picked out a couple simple pieces in dark colors that would work with the rest of her purchases.

Mellie did talk her into a black pair of ballet flats, promising Abby that when her tummy got bigger and her ankles swelled up she'd thank her.

Still feeling uncomfortable around the other moms and moms to be in the room, who all looked more prepared than she felt, Abby unsnapped the spiked dog collar she was wearing and held it in her lap. She was going to have to wear less pointy jewelry when the baby was born. If she started missing them, she'd pick up some bracelets with rubber spikes. Those at least wouldn't impale her baby.

She was smiling to herself when Gibbs nudged her. "Is it just me," he whispered, "or is everyone in here staring at me like I'm a dirty old man."

Abby glanced up and giggled. Now that she thought of it, maybe the other women were staring at Gibbs and not at her. There was an age difference, although she usually passed for younger so people were probably thinking it was bigger than it was.

Gibbs looked very uncomfortable, which only made Abby laugh harder. She'd never seen him like this, like he was trying to sink into the chair and hide.

A nurse poked her head into the waiting room. "Mrs. Gibbs?"

Abby turned to Gibbs and raised her eyebrows.

"I wasn't sure you wanted to use your real name." Gibbs nudged her. "Just go, I'll explain later."

"Oh, no," she said, tugging on his arm. "I'm not going anywhere without you, Mr. Gibbs." She gave him an evil smile.

"Abby," he tried to protest.

She crossed her arms.

Gibbs pushed himself to his feet, tugging her up beside him. "I'll get you for this later," he muttered as they followed the nurse.

The nurse led them into an examining room and handed Abby one of those awful paper gowns. "Just slip this on and Doctor Radin will be in shortly."

Gibbs turned his back while Abby wiggled out of her clothes and into the gown. He raised an eyebrow when she told him it was safe. Abby perched on the edge of the examining table and held up her feet. "Can you unbuckle my shoes?"

He'd had to buckle her into them this morning too. She could still reach, but she couldn't reach and see what she was doing at the same time. She missed the slip ons she'd left behind in her storage unit.

Now she just had on the gown and her knee socks.

Doctor Radin was a tiny Indian woman who appeared to be in her mid 40's. She gave Abby a stern speech when she found out how long it had been since her last appointment and pretty much ordered her to return in one month if she was still in the state.

"You need to stop dragging your wife all over the continent," she had lectured Gibbs, pointing a finger at him while Abby tried desperately not to snicker at the look on his face. "She needs regular prenatal care and shouldn't be traveling much longer anyway."

Abby was happy to have Gibbs there during the actual examination, as he provided a lovely distraction. She hadn't expected anything to phase him, but remembered he hadn't been present during Shannon's appointments as Gibbs studiously kept his eyes on her face, and her face only. It was hilarious.

Gibbs winced at the snapping noise when Doctor Radin pulled off her gloves. "Well," she announced, letting Abby remove her feet from the stirrups, "you should have had an ultrasound at your last appointment but it says here you declined?"

Abby nodded. "I wanted to wait a little longer until she'd definitely be able to tell if the baby was a boy or a girl."

"I'll send the ultrasound technician in when she finishes with the woman ahead of you. It shouldn't be too long."

"No problem." Abby sat up and swung her legs over the side of the table. "We're in no hurry, right?"

"No hurry," Gibbs agreed.

Doctor Radin nodded, as if they had answered correctly. "You can put your clothes back on if you like, you'll just have to pull your skirt down off your belly."

"Thanks," Abby told her as she exited the room. Gibbs turned away again while she slid into her clothes again. If it hadn't been for her underwear being off she would have told him not to bother. Lord knows she wasn't shy, or overly modest, but she did draw some lines.

Gibbs turned his head back when he heard her hop back up on the examining table. She swung her legs. "I can't wait to see the baby."

He gave her a half smile.

She thought about it for a moment. "So, you never got to see Kelly's ultrasound, huh?"

It hurt a little to remember, but Gibbs didn't really mind Abby's asking. She didn't pry, she was just genuinely curious, and he didn't blame her. "Just a blurry picture Shannon mailed me. Just looked like a gray blob to me," he confessed.

"This should be a lot clearer than that according to what I've read," Abby told him. "Ultrasound technology has made some serious strides the past few years. Mellie showed me one of her friends 4D ultrasound pictures on Facebook, and you could even tell the baby got her dad's big nose."

She paused, briefly glad she wasn't getting that high tech of an ultrasound, because knowing if the baby looked like Mikel was more than she could handle just yet.

Gibbs looked like he was going to say something when there was a firm knock at the door and it cracked open.

"Oh good, everyone's decent." The ultrasound technician, who looked barely old enough to have graduated high school let alone college, slipped into the room.

"I'm Maeve," she told them, wheeling the ultrasound machine in behind her, "and I promise I'm old enough to drink." She winked at Gibbs, who had a look of incredulity on his face.

Abby giggled. "I can relate to that. I got asked when I was graduating high school a couple months ago."

"Then you understand." Maeve settled the machinery just where she wanted it and turned to Abby. "If you could just lay back, we'll get this show on the road."

Abby obeyed, leaning back until she was lying flat on the examining table, pulling her shirt up to her breasts and letting her skirt waistband snap below her waist where it really wanted to live anyway.

Abby tensed as the technician squirted clear goo on her stomach, expecting it to be cold. Going in the face of every television show or movie she'd ever seen, it wasn't cold in the slightest.

"All right." Maeve grinned, using the wand to rub the gelatinous substance over Abby's belly, which seemed so much larger to her now that it was out in the open. "Lets get to the good part."

Abby stared at the screen, waiting impatiently for the black and white fuzz to turn into something recognizable. She frowned for a moment, then felt her mouth go slack when she saw…

"That," Maeve said, holding the wand in place, "is your baby."

"Wow." Abby stared in amazement.

Maeve pressed the wand a little firmer against her belly. "Yup, this is why I love my job." She began pointing out various body parts, head, spine, arms, legs.

Abby managed to tear her eyes away from the screen to glance at Gibbs, who hadn't said a word since Dr. Radin had left. "Gibbs?" she asked, wondering just what that look on his face was.

But he was too busy staring at the baby.

Her baby.

 **A/N:** I had my gallbladder out several years ago, and when I was in the hospital they gave me an ultrasound to verify that my gallbladder was in fact the problem. Since I don't have kids, I was very curious about the whole process. Even through the pain of the attack I was having, I remember that the goo wasn't cold and thinking that people lied in books and movies. lol. You know you're a writer when you find yourself focusing on details like that instead of your diagnosis.


	8. Chapter Eight: At All Cost

**Chapter Eight: At All Cost**

 **Rule #12: Never Date a Co-Worker**

Gibbs didn't expect to feel this way, this indescribable feeling deep in his gut. The second he caught sight of the blurry, black and white image on the ultrasound screen, he felt it.

Love, longing, desire.

It didn't feel like it was just Abby's baby up there. No, every cell in his body told him this baby was so much more.

Maybe even his salvation.

"Gibbs?"

He looked back at Abby, who had an unreadable expression on her face. He realized she was waiting for him to respond in some way.

"Ya did good, Abbs," he murmured, kissing her forehead, his lips lingering a few seconds longer than usual.

"Dr. Radin said you want to know the sex of the baby?" The ultrasound tech verified.

Abby nodded vigorously. "Absolutely." She looked as if she were going to burst with excitement.

Maeve moved the wand around Abby's stomach for a moment, then pressed a button that froze the picture on the screen. "That," she told them with a smile on her face, "is your son."

Abby gasped, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "A boy?" she whispered, almost reverently.

"Right there." She tapped a section of the screen. "Most definitely a boy."

Gibbs squinted at the screen, wishing he'd brought a pair of his glasses with him.

Maeve laughed, misreading his expression. "Don't worry, it gets bigger." She winked at Abby. "A lot of daddies get a little nervous about that."

Gibbs couldn't tear his eyes off of the screen, not even to explain he wasn't the father. It didn't seem important anyway, because he was already falling in love with this baby.

Maeve had turned back to the screen and was typing rapidly, not realizing that this wasn't just the normal shock and awe of a new father. It was so much more than that.

Gibbs didn't even hear the rest of what the technician was telling Abby. Instead, her earlier words just kept echoing through his head.

"That is your son."

The next thing he knew, Maeve was gone and Abby was pushing several printed pictures of the ultrasound into his hands so she could readjust her clothing.

Abby held onto his arm as they walked out of the building and climbed into the rental car, both of them strangely silent.

"I'm really having a baby," Abby said, her voice so full of awe.

Gibbs held up the pictures he was still holding so he could look again. "That you are," he agreed, staring at the photo.

Abby seemed to snap out of her trance and turned to him. "Gibbs, why did you let them think I was your wife? In fact, why couldn't you check me in under my real name?"

He sighed. "I don't know if this is the best time to talk about this." He'd hoped she'd forget about her earlier questions and give him some more time.

"Oh no." Abby snapped to alertness and fixed her smoldering green eyes on him. "I want to know what is going on, right now."

He could tell that she was not going to back down, not now. "I've had McGee watching Mawher," he confessed, staring idly at the picture in his hand.

"You what?" Abby stared at him. "Without even telling me about it? When have you even been talking to McGee?" She knew he'd talked to Tim more than once when they were in Mexico, probably asked for information on Mikel. She hadn't realized he'd gone so far as to have him tailed, or that he'd talked to him since then.

Gibbs silently pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and set it on the dashboard, effectively demonstrating how he'd kept in contact with Tim. "I didn't want you to be stressed out."

"I'm stressed now," she told him, gritting her teeth.

"Mawher hired a lawyer and a private investigator," Gibbs said bluntly. It was time she knew the truth. "He's trying to find you Abby, you and the baby."

Abby closed her eyes. She didn't want this to be happening.

"I've got McGee keeping an eye on both Mawher and the PI. He won't let them get to you."

"Just McGee?" she asked pointedly, opening her eyes again.

"I told him to bring in Tony and Ziva if he had to," Gibbs admitted.

Abby was disturbingly quiet. She was tugging unconsciously at one of her braids and rapidly chewing a hole in her lower lip as she thought about what Gibbs had just told her.

"I won't let him get to you. Either of you," Gibbs declared.

"You can't really stop him," Abby said finally, a look of resignation on her face. "This is his baby too, as much as I hate to admit it. He has rights."

"What if I said I we could change that," Gibbs said, his eyes raising up from the ultrasound picture and holding hers intently.

"How?" Abby asked, shaking her head and sighing in frustration.

"You could marry me." The words came out of his mouth before he could even think about.

Abby let out a choked sound. "Excuse me?"

"You could marry me," Gibbs repeated patiently. This wasn't how or when he'd planned on doing this, but he wasn't about to take back the words.

She was staring at him as if he'd lost his mind, and he didn't quite blame her.

"How in the world would that solve anything?" she asked.

That was the question Gibbs had been waiting for, and he was ready with the answer. He had been thinking seriously about this for days, but it hadn't been until just then, at the ultrasound, that he'd known he'd already made a definite decision.

"If you marry me," Gibbs began, sounding much more confident than he felt, "and when the baby's born if you put my name on the birth certificate, I'll legally be his father."

Abby stared, too stunned to speak.

"Mikel could challenge it, but unless you say otherwise he won't be able to get far, not unless he finds a sympathetic judge."

"McGee told you that?" she asked softly after a pause.

Gibbs nodded. "Had him check the laws."

Abby turned and stared at the parking lot. Her mind was swirling in a thousand different directions. Gibbs had just suggested that she marry him. Gibbs! Of all the things she might have thought would come out of his mouth, of all the plans, this was definitely not one she'd expected.

He loved her, sure, but not in that way. He'd been married three, no four times, and after learning about his first wife, Abby was nearly positive the other marriages failed because he was still in love with Shannon.

Not to mention she'd never really wanted to get married. Sure, it worked out good for her parents, but after watching half of her friends get married and divorced before she was even out of college it had kind of soured her on the idea.

"Abby," Gibbs said softly. She realized that she had been staring out the window long enough for him to begin looking nervous, which frankly made her nervous. Why was Gibbs nervous? Gibbs was never nervous.

"I-" Abby swallowed. "I appreciate the offer, Gibbs, but even if it wasn't technically fraud I just can't imagine it working."

"I know I don't have the greatest track record with marriage." Gibbs lifted one side of his mouth in a half hearted smile. "And I know you could do better, but it would keep you safe. I don't care if it's fraud, Abbs."

He reached out and took her hand in his. "I won't stand back and let you get hurt."

The feeling of Gibbs' rough fingertips on her skin almost made Abby forget all the reasons this was a very bad idea. Number one of which being she was harboring feelings for him that were the very opposite of platonic.

There was a part of her, deep down inside, that wanted to just say, "yes!" and throw her arms around him. But that part of her also realized it would be the wrong thing to do. Gibbs was offering a marriage of convenience, nothing more, nothing less.

"C-could we talk about this later?" Abby finally said, risking a glance up at him.

Gibbs didn't look thrilled, but he nodded and let go of her hand. She immediately missed the warmth and hugged her arms around her belly.

She felt a tiny movement in her belly, which was either the baby or a gas bubble. It was a toss up, either being just as likely. She picked up the ultrasound pictures from where Gibbs placed them on the seat between them and stared at the pictures as Gibbs started the car.

That was her little boy. It was easily the most incredible thing she had ever seen in her life. She'd known she was pregnant, known since she missed her period. Known when her boobs got sore and everything started smelling funny. But it had never been so real to her as it was the moment she actually saw her baby.

Gibbs had seemed pretty amazed as well. Maybe that was why he was suddenly spouting crazy ideas. Of course, it couldn't be a new idea if he'd asked Tim about it. Unless he'd been suggesting Tim… but no, that didn't sound like Gibbs either. If he wanted something done right, he did it himself, which apparently extended to marriage of convenience offers.

She wrinkled her nose. Ugh, this was not what she should even be thinking about right now. She was supposed to be floating on cloud nine because she obviously was having the most beautiful baby in the world. And she was, but at the same time she was sneaking nervous glances at the man next to her who had suddenly turned into a stranger.

Abby was quiet the rest of the way to her parents house. She gave up on not thinking about Gibbs… proposal or whatever it was, since it was obviously futile. Instead she began mentally planning the pro/con list she was going to make as soon as he was out of sight.

Pros? Keeping Mikel away from the baby, of course. Gibbs did love her, and he'd protect her with his life, although she didn't need to marry him for that. There was always the minuscule chance she could convince him to have a REAL marriage.

Then there was the cons. The fact that he didn't love her the way she really wanted him to. Abby wasn't totally sure if she wanted to keep Mikel away, not completely. He was the biological father. This was his baby, and if he went back on his meds and got some help Abby could see him being a decent parent.

Abby was about to make a quick getaway the second Gibbs pulled into the driveway, but he caught her wrist with his hand.

"Just promise me you'll think about it."

Abby nodded. Good luck on her thinking about anything else.

xxx

Sami's recital was that night, and Abby wanted to help her get ready, so they were only at the house long enough to get changed before heading over to Luka and Mellie's apartment.

Gibbs was sitting in the living room with Lucas while the girls were in the kitchen. If he turned his head just right he could see Abby doing Sami's hair while Mellie finished up a batch of cookies.

Abby had hardly said a word to him since their discussion. He had no idea what was going on in her head and it was driving him crazy. She'd promised to think it over, but waiting was already starting to make him tense.

He was trying not to be too obvious as he watched Abby, but wasn't succeeding apparently.

"Abby is pretty much Sami's favorite person on the planet," Luka remarked, nodding his head towards the two. "Last month someone in a store asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she told them she wanted to be her Aunt Abby."

Gibbs watched as Abby brushed Sami's dark brown hair, pulling it into a very familiar looking set of pigtails. "Pretty sure the feeling's mutual."

"Yeah." Luka sighed. "She's really excited about getting a cousin, though. Abby might have some competition when that little one is born."

Gibbs didn't say anything. He was still reeling from his unexpected reaction to Abby's ultrasound earlier that day, not to mention the way he'd blurted out his plan without even thinking about how it would sound to Abby.

He didn't blame her for wanting to drop the subject for awhile. He'd basically offered her a signature on a piece of paper. Four wives, you'd think he could have done a little better than that. He'd had enough practice.

"I talked to Dad on the phone, he's so excited Abby's giving him a grandson." Luka was half watching a ball game on the television set with the volume muted. "If anything will inspire him to stay healthy, that's going to be it."

"Yeah, I bet."

Luka glanced up at the clock. "Mom should be here soon, if Dad managed to talk her into going with us. He said it's my job to convince her to sleep at home tonight."

Gibbs cracked a small smile. "Got your job cut out for ya, if she's anything like Abby."

"Where do you think my sister got all that stubbornness from?" Luka grinned. "I was actually thinking it might go over better if you asked her."

"Me?" Gibbs was a little confused.

"Yeah. Thought you could tell her that Abby misses her or something."

Gibbs let out a small laugh. "You mean lie?" It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to have a buffer between him and Abby. He wasn't opposed to the idea of tricking Gloria into getting a good night's sleep.

"Like a rug." Luka continued grinning at him. "I'm not afraid of underhanded ways of getting things done. If I were the women in this family would walk all over me."

"Care to rephrase that, babe?" Mellie asked, walking up behind him and sitting on the arm of the chair. She looked amused but still had enough of a disapproving expression to make her partner twitch.

Luka's eyes widened. "I mean, I love you?" He gave her a wide-eyed innocent look back.

"Nice try." She swatted him on the shoulder. "You guys gonna be ready to leave in ten minutes or so?"

Gibbs was enjoying watching the two interact. He hadn't spent enough time around couples whose relationships worked and he found it strangely fascinating.

"We're ready," Luka stated. "Or at least I am."

Mellie crossed her arms and leveled a look at her partner. "You're going to show up at your daughter's piano recital in paint splattered jeans and a Metallica t shirt?"

Luka looked down. "Should I change the shirt?"

Gibbs shook his head. He was fairly certain Luka wasn't even kidding.

"Go!" Mellie swatted at Luka's behind as he got up. "There's a pair of slacks and a sweater laying out on the bed."

"Okay, Mom," Luka called back, once he was safely out of hitting range.

"That man." Mellie rolled her eyes and shook her head at Gibbs as she moved into the recently vacated seat. "Sometimes it's like having a second child around."

Gibbs held his hands up in surrender. "Us men couldn't survive without good women to take care of us."

"Is Aunt Abby your woman?" Sami appeared suddenly next to Gibbs, bouncing in excitement. Abby was trailing behind her with a wary look on her face. "She takes care you you, doesn't she?"

Abby looked a little taken aback by Sami's question, her eyes wide as she carefully didn't make eye contact with him. Her cheeks looked rather rosier than usual.

Gibbs tugged Sami onto his lap. "Your Aunt Abby takes care of everyone," he told her seriously. "She's real good at it."

"She fixed my hair," Sami told him, smiling widely and showing off a missing front tooth. "Now I look just like her."

"You do." Gibbs glanced up at Abby. He leaned in to Sami. "I think you look even prettier than she does," he said in a loud stage whisper.

Sami giggled. "Nuh-uh. Nobody's prettier than Aunt Abby. She's the prettiest girl in the entire world!"

"Hey!" Mellie protested, frowning dramatically at her daughter.

"Sorry Mommy." Sami said, looking mildly repentant. She turned to Gibbs. "Do you like my dress, Mr. Gibbs? Nana Gloria made it for me."

"It's a very pretty dress," Gibbs told her, tugging lightly on one of the ribbon bows on the bodice. He was pretty impressed that Gloria had sewn the bright pink fluffy concoction. It was funny to imagine a tiny pigtailed Abby being dressed in similar items.

He looked up at Abby, who narrowed her eyes at him, no doubt knowing exactly where his thoughts were heading.

"You look pretty too, Mr. Gibbs," Sami announced, making the adults chuckle. She frowned. "Well he does."

Gibbs was dressed in a pair of khaki pants Abby had picked up for him earlier on her shopping spree, and a crisp dark blue polo shirt (also purchased by Abby). He felt a little naked without one of his trademark white undershirts underneath, but it had been uncomfortable enough asking Abby to pick up a pack of boxers for him.

Not that Abby had been embarrassed. In fact she'd seemed to take a great deal of joy out of asking what size to buy, did he prefer plaids or solids, was he sure he didn't want any tightie whities. He wondered if she'd still be able to be that carefree with him now, or if things would change.

Had he messed up the delicate balance of their relationship? The unnatural silence from her after the doctor's appointment was not the reaction he would have expected from her. Usually it was Abby who wanted to talk things to death, even when other people were desperately trying to avoid said talk.

This time, Abby was the one hiding.

"Mr. Gibbs?" Sami poked him in the chest. "Mommy asked you a question."

Gibbs gave Mellie a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Mellie, what was that?"

"I was just asking if you were ready to get going soon." Mellie glanced over at Abby, a curious expression on her face. "Gloria texted, she decided to stay with Ben and watch the video with him when he sees it."

"Of course." Gibbs noticed that Luka had joined them again while he'd been zoning out. "Abby, do you mind riding with your brother? I have to pick something up on the way and I don't want to make you guys late."

Abby shook her head. "I don't mind."

"Actually," Luka said, stepping forward. "Let me ride with you. I had something I wanted to pick up too." He gave Mellie a meaningful look.

"C'mon, Miss Samantha." Mellie held out her hand. "Time to get our princess to her recital."

Sami wiggled off Gibbs lap but glanced back at him before following her mother. "You won't let Daddy miss my recital, will you?"

"Of course not," Gibbs reassured her. "We'll only be a few minutes behind you guys."

When they were gone, he turned to Luka. "What did you need to pick up?" he asked him.

Luka smiled sheepishly. "Dad just texted me and reminded me to buy Sami flowers."

"Looks like we had the same idea. We'll only have to make one stop." Gibbs checked his pocket to make sure he had his wallet and pulled the rental car keys from his front hip pocket.

"Gibbs?" Luka asked hesitantly, as they were waiting in line at the florist to purchase their bouquets. "How did you know we were supposed to bring flowers?"

Gibbs' grip on the flowers tightened in-perceptively. "I had a daughter once," he said slowly. "I never missed her dance performances when I wasn't on a case."

"Oh." Luka shuffled his feet as the line moved closer to the register.

"She died," Gibbs volunteered, as surprised that he was sharing it willingly as Luka appeared to be at his statement. "She was only nine."

"I'm sorry," Luka offered.

Gibbs appreciated the simplicity of his sympathy. "Never forget flowers," he instructed the younger man as they reached the front of the line. "Never forget."

xxx

Abby was trying to be upset at Gibbs for the bomb he'd dropped on her earlier but when she saw Gibbs and Luka making their way to sit next to her and Mellie, each carrying a large bouquet of roses, she felt her heart melt a little.

"You bought her flowers," Abby stated, when Gibbs was sitting next to her.

"Yep."

"I didn't even think of that." Abby felt a little guilty.

Gibbs smiled. "They're from both of us." He rested his arm on the back of her chair and Abby found herself leaning into his body instinctively. He was just so darn warm. And soft. And he smelled good.

Damn hormones.

She was also exhausted. Between shopping in the morning, her doctor's appointment, Gibbs' subsequent unexpected proposal, and helping get Sami ready for the recital, there hadn't been any time for a nap.

After she'd hit the second month of this pregnancy, naps had become more commonplace. Now they were practically mandatory. She just couldn't seem to make it through the day without needing a little extra sleep. She never used to fall asleep easily, now practically all it took was blinking too slow.

She really wanted to put her head on his chest and try and doze before the recital started, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea. She really hadn't made a decision about what Gibbs had asked her, and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

On the other hand, he was there, and she wanted to close her eyes. Really wanted to closer her eyes. In fact, she was just going to close her eyes for a sec and work up the energy to…

Gibbs put his hand on her shoulder and tugged her against his body. Aw, hell, she thought. Why fight it? This was where she wanted to be right now anyway.

If she hadn't been so darn tired, she might have read into that more, but her brain wasn't up to complex equations at the moment.

Just before she dozed off, she heard someone behind her talking about things starting a little late because one of the little girls was having a panic attack and refusing to come out on the tiny stage.

Good, Abby thought as she drifted off. That would give her time for an itsy-bitsy little nap.

It felt like just seconds later when Gibbs nudged her awake and she groaned out loud, which caused a few people around them to make shushing noises. She blinked her eyes open, realizing the lights had dimmed and the first child was on stage, getting ready to perform.

She sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes and hoping she'd remembered to use her rub proof mascara that morning or else she was going to look like a zombie when this was over.

Sami's piano teacher taught all ages, and had grouped them according to skill, not age, which made the program a lot of fun to watch. She loved seeing proud adults come up on stage and pound out similar tunes to the ones the five year olds did, and everyone clapping just as hard for the adults as they did for the kids.

Sami had been taking lessons for almost a year, and was doing exceptionally well, so she was the second to last before the intermission. Abby beamed proudly while watching her niece perform, making sure that Luka had remembered to record the performance on his camera for their parents to watch the next day.

Of course neither Gloria nor Ben could hear Sami's piano playing, but they always came to her recitals. They could feel the vibrations if they sat close enough to the stage. Abby knew her parents would watch every second of Sami's performance with proud smiles on their faces, even if they couldn't feel the music this time.

When the intermission was announced, Sami came running towards her family and flung her arms around Luka. "Did you see me, Daddy? Did you see me?" she asked excitedly, beaming from ear to ear.

Luka gave her the flowers he had bought and Sami's eyes lit up. She danced back and forth as she hugged the flowers.

Then when Gibbs knelt down and handed her the dozen white roses he had purchased for her Sami was momentarily stunned. Her eyes got big and her cheeks turned bright pink. She stared at them for a minute before throwing her arms around Gibbs and hugging the stuffing out of him.

"Now I know those bone crushing hugs are a Scuito trait," Gibbs murmured close to Abby's ear as he stood up.

Everyone chattered for a few more minutes, but Abby was fading fast. She was at the stage of exhaustion where she was pretty sure she'd been responding to things directed at her, but wasn't totally sure. Her brain felt like cotton fuzz.

Gibbs must have noticed, because the next things she knew he was putting his arm around her shoulder and leading her out. "Gonna take Abby home, let her get some rest," he told Luka and Mellie. "Don't think she'd make it through the second half of the recital."

"Poor thing," Mellie said. "She had a busy day."

Luka gave her a kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, sis."

Abby fell asleep as soon as she was buckled into the car. She woke up briefly when they arrived back at the house, long enough for Gibbs to lead her inside and help her into her pajamas. She was too tired to feel awkward and instead just felt grateful for his help as she fell onto the bed.

At some point later on that night, Abby felt Gibbs climb under the covers behind her, curling his body around hers and sharing his warmth.

She fell back asleep while thinking about how right it felt.

xxx

The next morning Gibbs woke up early and headed to the hospital with a plastic bag of cookies Mellie had given to him before the recital.

Gloria had come back to the house late the night before, finally having been convinced to get a good night's sleep by her husband. Gibbs slipped out of the house before either she or Abby woke up so as to avoid questions.

 _Gibbs!_ Ben signed, looking surprised to see him. He used the bedside controls to push himself up into more of a sitting position. He paused the movie he had been watching on a small portable DVD player that Gloria had gotten from the house.

 _Looking good,_ Gibbs signed back, sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair beside his bed. _Heard they're letting you go home tomorrow morning._

 _About time._ Ben rolled his eyes. _Getting real sick of this place and what they call 'food'_.

Gibbs laughed. _Yeah I've been there._ He held up the plastic bag in his hand. _You'll be happy to hear then that Mellie sent me with some of the cookies she baked for the recital._

 _Mellie's cookies?_ Ben reached out eagerly and accepted the bag.

Gibbs waited for him to look back up. _Chocolate chip._

 _Is there any other kind?_ Ben happily opened up the Tupperware container and took a big bite out of one of the moist cookies. _Mellie makes the best cookies. You want one?_

 _Already had a couple earlier._

 _More for me_. Ben munched happily. _How did Sami do at the recital?_

 _She did great, Ben._ Gibbs smiled at the man. _Abby and I were real impressed. Luka said he'll have a DVD ready for you by the time you get home._

 _Looking forward to seeing it. I hated missing Sami's big performance._ Ben pulled a second cookie out of the bag.

 _She's pretty excited about watching it with you._ Gibbs leaned back in his chair while Ben finished his cookie.

 _You didn't come over here this early just to bring me cookies,_ Ben guessed.

Gibbs shook his head. _You know me too well, Ben._

 _Is something wrong with Abby and the baby?_ Ben wanted to know. He frowned at Gibbs, sitting up a little straighter in the bed as he waited for an answer.

 _No, nothing like that,_ Gibbs reassured him quickly. _Just something I wanted to let you know about._

Ben smirked. _Is it about you having feelings towards my daughter?_

Gibbs gave a small laugh. Of course Ben knew. _That obvious?_

 _Been wondering how long it would take you two to get it right._

 _Didn't realize how much I needed her until I was away this summer,_ Gibbs told him truthfully. It had taken him two months to realize what Ben apparently had figured out some time ago.

 _She missed you a lot. Wish I could blame you for her getting involved with the degenerate who got her pregnant, but I know that happened long before you left._

Gibbs leaned forward. _That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about, Ben. I'm worried about what's gonna happen when she goes home._

 _I'm worried too,_ Ben admitted. _I'd try to get her to stay down here if I didn't know she'd refuse. She's very independent, my Abby._ He smiled, that indulgent smile parents use when they're proud of who their child has become.

 _She is._ Gibbs took a deep breath before finally getting to the point. _I asked her to marry me._

Ben watched him carefully for a minute. _I assume you'd look happier if she'd said yes._

Gibbs nodded. _It wasn't my finest moment._

 _Let me guess, you told her it was to keep her safe and she didn't take kindly to that._

 _Something along those lines._ Gibbs let out an amused chuff. _I should have known better, huh?_

 _I think you did know better._ Ben reached out and patted Gibbs' knee. _Love makes us stupid sometimes._

 _Just sometimes?_

Ben laughed out loud.

 _I'm still gonna try and talk her into it, but I wanted you to know that I asked._

 _I appreciate that,_ Ben signed slowly, taking care with his words. _Never thought a man needed to ask permission for Abby's hand, but I do appreciate you respecting me enough to tell me your intentions._

 _I intend to marry her. Just a matter of time until I can get her to agree._ Gibbs meant what he said. He might have flubbed up the proposal, but he wasn't going to stop until Abby understood what he was offering her, what he planned on giving her.

 _She's pretty stubborn_. Ben reminded him.

 _So am I._

Ben laughed. _Okay, can't exactly argue with that, can I?_

Gibbs suddenly remembered the second reason he was there and reached into his pocket. _Almost forgot this_ , he signed quickly, then passed the ultrasound picture to Ben.

Ben snatched the picture out of his hand in his excitement. Gibbs watched as tears welled up in the other man's eyes. He waited while Ben blinked back tears and looked up at him.

 _Makes a difference seeing it instead of just hearing it_ , Ben told him. _Don't remember these things being this clear when Abby and Luka were born._

 _Abby said the technology's gotten better,_ Gibbs remarked. _I think it's just amazing._

 _Convince her soon?_ Ben reached out and squeezed Gibbs' hand.

Gibbs nodded and squeezed back. _I will,_ he signed with his free hand.

He wasn't giving up.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed, every time I get an email it makes me smile. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, it was lots of fun to write. I was just as surprised as Gibbs when he proposed, he just took over and insisted that was how it was going down.

 **Next week:** Abby's answer. (I swear I didn't plan it this way to be mean! lol)


	9. Chapter Nine: Decisions

**Chapter Nine: Decisions**

 **Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.**

"We have to talk," Gibbs told Abby the next morning after they were done eating breakfast and the dishes had been cleared away.

Gloria and Luka were at the hospital getting Ben checked out while Abby and Gibbs had stayed behind to make sure the house was ready for him.

Abby had been sitting on the couch in the living room, hugging a pillow and hoping this moment wouldn't come. She set the pillow down on the coffee table and sighed. "Okay."

Gibbs came over and sat down on the couch beside her, but far enough away so that she still felt alone. She could hear him breathing. It usually comforted her, but right at that moment it was slightly terrifying.

"I could've explained things better."

Abby glanced over at him. "You think?" she asked sarcastically.

"Truth was, I hadn't decided for sure I was gonna ask until I saw this." Gibbs placed one of Abby's ultrasound pictures on the table in front of them. "Kinda made up my mind for me."

Abby took a deep breath. "I don't understand."

"You can't hide forever. Sooner or later you have to go back home." Gibbs leaned back, looking more casual than his words were revealing him to be. "And as much as I'd like to, I can't just go beat the stuffing out of that bastard Mawher. Or kill him."

That really shouldn't have made Abby smile, but she couldn't quite help herself.

"I had a buddy who came back from Desert Storm to a pregnant wife." Gibbs paused, then added, "He'd been gone for over a year."

"Oh." Abby wrinkled her nose. "That must have been a shock."

"Yeah. They gave it a try, but the marriage was already falling apart. They didn't get divorced though until after the baby was born, and when the subject of child support came up the judge told my buddy he had to pay. That the law in their state was that a husband was the father, no matter what."

Abby could see where this was going, but she didn't say anything. She needed to hear it from Gibbs. She needed to hear him say it. Hear him say that the only reason he wanted to marry her was to keep her safe.

And the worst part was she wasn't sure there was any other way to do it.

Gibbs shrugged. "Got to thinking about it."

Nope, he wasn't going to make things easy. "I could just go back home and deal with things myself," Abby suggested, trying to give him an out. "The restraining order will make a good case for supervised visitation."

"A restraining order is a useless piece of paper," Gibbs snapped. "Did it stop him from breaking into your apartment? From slashing your tires?"

Abby stared at him. "How did you find that out?"

"I put my best nerd on the case."

Abby sighed. "All right, lets say I agree to your proposition. So, we get married, you put your name on the birth certificate, then what?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Nothing has to change if you don't want it to."

Abby took a deep breath. "So, this would be a marriage of convenience?" She squirmed a little in her seat. Somehow she'd managed to avoid using the 'm' word during the rest of the conversation. Using it suddenly made everything so much more serious.

"It'd be whatever you want it to, Abby." His firm voice sent a shiver down her spine. He wasn't saying what she thought he was saying, was he?

She nodded slowly. "Didn't think you ever planned on getting married again."

"I didn't," Gibbs told her honestly. "But there's some things you can't plan for."

Gibbs was right. Lord knows Abby had never planned on any of this. Not having a crazy stalker for an ex-boyfriend, or having a baby with said crazy stalker of an ex-boyfriend, and last of all, not having one of the kindest men you'd ever known offer to marry you to save her from him.

Abby jutted her chin out. "What if I said I wanted it to be a real marriage?" she asked, hoping her voice projected the confidence she couldn't quite muster up, fully expecting Gibbs to close down, for this to end the conversation.

She should have known better.

Instead, Gibbs leaned closer to her, until she could feel his warm breath caressing her face. "That what you want?" he asked slowly.

She tried to get her heartbeat under control. She was very conscious of every breath she took, every movement as Gibbs stared unwaveringly into her eyes.

"Yes."

Before the word was even finished Gibbs lips were on hers, pressing, burning, tasting. He slid one calloused hand around the back of her neck and held her lips firmly against his as he plundered her mouth.

Abby felt like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her head above water. She let every word she was too afraid to say pour into their kiss, until there was no thoughts left except the feeling of his lips moving against hers.

Gibbs pulled back slowly, their lips finally parting with a soft 'popping' noise. At some point his other hand had slid around her waist and was holding her firmly against his body, their foreheads resting together. "Let me take care of you," he whispered. "Both of you."

"'Kay," Abby heard herself saying. She was about to melt into a puddle when she felt a firm poke from inside her belly.

Gibbs froze, his eyes dropping down to her stomach, which was pressed against his side. "Was that?" he murmured, looking stunned.

"I guess he agrees." Abby rested her forehead against Gibbs shoulder. "You're sure about this?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Ya really need more proof?" Gibbs asked incredulously.

She giggled. "I guess not."

She felt him stiffen after a few minutes, and was going to ask what the matter was when he let the hand on the back of her neck fall to her stomach.

He cupped her belly with his hand and let his thumb stroke back and forth over her shirt. "If we do this," Gibbs said softly, pushing her away so he could look her in the eye, "I'll be his father. If things change and you want out of the marriage, that's fine, I won't stop you, but I need your word that you'll never take him away from me."

"Of course not!" Abby couldn't imagine a time coming when she wouldn't want Gibbs around, but she could sense that he needed this reassurance. "No matter what. He'll be legally yours, remember?"

Gibbs swallowed.

Now Abby needed some reassurance. "You're sure?" she whispered. "You're sure you want to be a father again?"

More than anything in the world, Gibbs thought, but the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he simply nodded. "I'm sure."

xxx

Keeping anything from Abby's family would be near impossible with them all under the same roof, so Gibbs and Abby agreed they would tell everyone the change in their relationship status over lunch.

Ben still looked rather weak when he arrived, but oh so happy to be home. Luka and Gloria stood on either side of him, not quite propping him up, more making sure he wasn't too wobbly as he walked through the house. He beamed when he saw his daughter waiting for him and let them settle him in his recliner.

"Hey, Daddy," Abby said, signing simultaneously and perching on the arm of the recliner. Gibbs smiled as he watched, fairly sure this was a common occurrence, probably dating back to when Abby was a little girl.

 _Good to be home_ , Ben signed, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

Abby kissed him on the top of the head and beamed.

Luka made a production out of sniffing the air. "What smells so good?" he asked Abby.

Abby was in the process of lightly combing Ben's hair back with her fingers when she answered. "Meatloaf and mashed potatoes," she told him.

Gloria, who had been close enough to read Abby's lips, frowned. _What will you eat?_ she asked her daughter.

 _Meatloaf_. Abby smiled at her mom. _I've been craving meat through most of this pregnancy._

 _Oranges,_ Gloria signed, looking amused. _With you it was oranges and with Luka it was milk. I drank almost a gallon a day until he was born._

 _I forgot about that._

Abby was still smiling. She looked happy enough to burst and Gibbs chose to believe a tiny bit of that happiness was because of him.

Ben opened his eyes in time to catch the tail end of their conversation. _Forgot about what?_ he asked.

 _How much milk I drank when I was carrying Lukas_ , Gloria reminded him.

Ben turned to Gibbs. _I was terrified she was going to run off with the milkman_ , he teased.

Abby stood up and turned her back to her parents so they couldn't read her lips. "When should we tell them?" she asked Gibbs as she stood in front of him. She wasn't sure she could wait until after lunch.

Luka tilted his head and gave Gibbs a "huh?" look from behind her. "You do remember that I'm not deaf, right sis?"

Abby's eyes widened. "Crap, I forgot you were in the room." She turned back around and gave Luka a sheepish smile. The happy however, was leaking right out of her as Gibbs watched, being replaced with something that looked suspiciously like nerves.

"How about we tell them now?" Gibbs suggested with a smile on the edge of his lips. Ben and Gloria were eyeing all of them now with amusement and curiosity.

Abby glanced back at him, busy chewing a hole in her lip. Gibbs could see the nervousness practically seeping out of her pores. It was funny, in the lab, Abby was never nervous. She was the queen of outgoing but put her back in her parents house and she looked like a scared little girl.

Gibbs used his thumb to disengage Abby's teeth from her lip before she drew blood. She looked up at him, her eyes begging him to take over.

"Abby and I have something to announce," Gibbs said, putting his arm around her shoulders and tugging her into his side.

Ben met Gibbs gaze and gave him a thumbs up, which made him laugh. Abby frowned up at him, but he just kissed her forehead. "Abby has done the pleasure of agreeing to marry me."

Luka's jaw dropped open. "What?" he gasped, staring at them both. "You guys are getting married?"

Abby glanced up at Gibbs and smiled. "Yeah, we're getting married."

Ben beamed proudly. _I'm so happy for you both,_ he signed.

Gloria had her hand over her mouth, looking shocked but pleased. Her eyes were brimming with happy tears.

 _She finally gave in?_ Ben signed, smiling at Gibbs.

Gibbs laughed. "Yeah, she finally gave in." He gave Abby's shoulders a squeeze and then let go, so he could sign again as he spoke, knowing Ben and Gloria were more comfortable with signing than reading lips.

"When did this happen?" Luka asked, signing as he spoke. "How did this happen?"

Abby glanced at Gibbs, her eyes looking to him for an answer. He wanted to throw back his head and laugh. Abby didn't know what to say? That had to be a first.

"I asked her a day ago," he told the astonished Luka, "but she made me sweat it out a little. Didn't say yes until this morning."

 _Congratulations,_ Gloria signed. _I have no idea when any of this happened, but I'm so happy for you both. Abby, I told you he was a keeper!_

Abby laughed a little. Gibbs felt her move a little closer to him, clearly taking strength in his presence.

 _When are you going to have the wedding?_ Ben signed.

Gibbs nudged Abby. They had been talking about it right before everyone got there, and both agreed it made sense to get married as soon as possible, in case Mikel did attempt to get custody. The sooner they were in an established relationship, the less likely a judge would ever order a paternity test.

"We're going to go get the marriage license today if we can." Abby's hands were shaking a tiny bit as she signed. "If we can get a judge to waive the waiting period, we were thinking maybe tomorrow?"

 _Tomorrow?_ Both Gloria and Ben signed, nearly in perfect synchrony.

Luka was shaking his head and laughing. "Tomorrow? You guys really are nuts."

 _Why so fast?_ Gloria wanted to know.

Gibbs took pity on Abby and took that question. "We don't want to wait, and Abby wants you guys to be there. We were planning on heading home in a couple days, so it just seemed to make sense to do it before we leave. "

"Don't you have any family you want to be there?" Luka asked him, looking genuinely confused.

Gibbs tensed. "No," he told him. "I don't have any family."

After that Gloria mostly took over the conversation, signing so fast about flowers and dresses that he could hardly keep up. She had Abby relaxed and chattering within a few minutes and he just stood back and watched them talk.

"Gibbs?" Luka had gotten up off the couch to let Abby sit near her mother. He gestured for Gibbs to follow him into the other room.

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked when they were out of Abby's earshot, and Ben and Gloria's vision.

Luka was suddenly serious. "You're marrying her because of the baby, aren't you?"

"I'm marrying her because I love her," Gibbs stated, narrowing his eyes. He hated what Luka was implying, even if it was a large part of the reason. Abby deserved to have her family believe they were madly in love, even if things were more complicated than that.

"I'm not stupid." Luka shook his head at him. "If you just wanted to marry her you could have done it any time."

Gibbs was trying not to let Abby's little brother piss him off. He wasn't entirely succeeding. "Would you rather we just live together?"

"Maybe." Luka crossed his arms. "I mean, all right, no, I wouldn't rather that. But I don't want you doing this out of pity. Abby's been half in love with you for years. I won't let you take advantage of that."

Damn, now he had to respect the kid. He was just trying to protect his sister's feelings, and Gibbs couldn't blame him for that. "Look," he said slowly, "all I can tell you is that Abby and I talked about a lot of things this morning. We both laid out exactly what we want out of this marriage and agreed to the terms."

Luka nodded slowly.

"And," Gibbs took a deep breath, "I really do love her, Luka."

"I know you do," Luka said after a moment, to his surprise. "I just wanted to make sure you loved her enough to fight for her." He left Gibbs alone in the room feeling a little stunned.

Luka was a good kid. Gibbs kinda wanted to punch him at that exact moment, but he was a good kid watching out for his big sister, and Gibbs was secretly proud of him.

xxx

As they lay in bed that night, Abby couldn't stop thinking about the expression on Gibbs' face when Luka asked if he had any relatives he wanted to invite to the wedding. He'd told them he didn't have any relatives, but she could tell that there was something he was holding back.

She'd never heard him talk about anyone in his family, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He hadn't told her about Shannon and Kelly either. She knew his mom was dead, Jenny had mentioned that once, but for all she knew there was an entire clan of Gibbses out there.

"Gibbs?" she asked softly. She was laying on her side, facing away from him, reading a book on her Kindle. She hadn't even changed pages in ten minutes or so, she'd been so deep in thought.

"Yeah, Abbs?" Gibbs was reading as well, sitting up and laying against a few pillows propped against the headboard.

She took a deep breath. "Do you really not have any family, or were you just saying that because you didn't want them at the wedding?" She wanted desperately to turn around and see his face, but didn't think she'd be able to bear it if she looked and he was mad at her. She loved Gibbs, but it was hard to know what might set him off sometimes.

"Does it matter?" he asked gruffly.

Abby thought about it before answering. "I'd just like to know."

"I still get together with one of Shannon's cousins from time to time," Gibbs said slowly. "And my father's still alive."

"He is?" Abby rolled onto her back and stared up at Gibbs in surprise. "I've never heard you mention him before."

Gibbs looked down at her. "We don't get along much," he said finally. "Haven't talked in a long time."

Abby frowned. "How long a time?"

"'Bout ten years," Gibbs confessed.

"Ten years?" Abby pushed herself up into a seated position. "You haven't spoken to your father in ten years?"

Gibbs shook his head.

She did the math in her head. "You two haven't spoken since just after Shannon died."

It wasn't a question, so Gibbs didn't answer. She didn't expect him to, but the look of concern on her face was genuine.

Abby couldn't imagine not speaking to her father for ten years. What if they hadn't been speaking when Ben had his heart attack? He could have died before she'd been able to see him again. Abby didn't think she'd ever be able to get over something like that.

Gibbs sighed. "Spit it out, Abbs."

"What if he dies?" Abby exclaimed, not missing a beat. "What if he dies and you haven't talked to him for ten years?"

Gibbs was silent.

"My dad could have died," Abby said, softer this time.

Gibbs stretched his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. She settled her ear against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She knew this was probably one of the top five things Gibbs did not want to talk about, but she just couldn't let it go.

"Where does he live?" she asked.

"Stillwater, Pennsylvania," Gibbs replied.

Abby thought about this for a moment. "I want to meet him," she announced.

Gibbs arms tensed slightly. "Why?" he asked finally.

"He'll be my father-in-law," Abby said. "And he's gonna be a grandpa in a few months. Don't you think he deserves to know that?"

Gibbs didn't say anything.

"Please?" Abby said after a few minutes. "It would really mean a lot to me."

Gibbs sighed. "Don't know if he would even want to see me."

She tried not to look too happy. He hadn't said no. "Then lets just show up. We'll fly or drive there before going back to D.C. If he doesn't want to see us, we'll just go home sooner, that's all."

"Don't want him to hurt your feelings," Gibbs said.

Abby made a rude noise with her mouth. "If you haven't hurt my feelings by now, I think we're safe. Besides, I can take care of myself. I'm not breakable."

"No, you're just full of crazy pregnancy hormones," Gibbs said drolly.

Abby giggled. She was really starting to get used to this side of Gibbs, the man who smiled and joked much more than shouting and growling. He was fun.

"I might be chock full of crazy psycho pregnancy hormones," she told him, wagging a finger in his face, "but I can still take care of myself. And don't you forget it."

"And you don't forget that in a couple days it will officially be my job to take care of you, and that includes protecting you from my cranky father," Gibbs said right back.

Yes, Gibbs."

Gibbs wrinkled his forehead. "We're almost married now Abby, I think you can call me Jethro."

"Jethro." Abby tried the word out. It felt funny in her mouth, like when you take a bite of food that's gone bad but don't realize it until it's already in your mouth.

Gibbs nodded. "It is my name."

"Not Leroy?" she teased. "Ducky told me Diane called you Leroy."

His eyes narrowed.

"Leroy Jethro? LJ? Lee? Roy? Jet?" Abby was having way too much fun with this. "The J-Man? L to the J? He Who Builds Boats in His Basement?"

Gibbs had his arms crossed and looked less than amused. "Are you done?"

"Maybe." Abby grinned. "Jethro… I don't think I can do it."

"And why not?"

"It's weird!" Abby whined. "I've always called you Gibbs."

"Or Boss," he added, holding back a smile. "Or Sir."

"Or Ma'am," she reminded him.

"I'll start calling you Scuito," he threatened.

Abby wrinkled her nose. Funny, now that she thought about it, both she and Gibbs referred to most of their friends by their last names, at least part of the time, but he'd almost never called her Scuito. She didn't like it.

"I guess I could try calling you Jethro," she said, taking a deep breath. "Jethro."

"Abigail," Gibbs retorted.

She made a face. "Ugh, not Abigail either. I just want to be Abby. Just plain Abby."

 _No, beautiful Abby,_ Gibbs signed, making her blush.

xxx

Abby felt like she was going to hurl.

It would have been nice to have blamed all her nausea on the pregnancy, but she hadn't thrown up once since she found out she was pregnant. No, she was one of those people who didn't feel sick while she was pregnant, or at least not this time.

Not that she was thinking about another time. Or at least she hadn't been until that thought popped into her head. She took a moment away from dry heaving to give that idea a good ponder. Another baby, with Gibbs this time? Did she want more children? Did he? Did it make her completely and utterly insane to be thinking about this while she wasn't even halfway pregnant with her first baby?

Abby took a deep breath. Okay, she told herself, stop freaking out. The baby did a somersault inside of her and she glared down at her stomach. "Hey, you in there, you stop that. My stomach's doing enough flips on it's own."

She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She'd been a nervous wreck when it came to telling her parents, but Gibbs had gotten her through it and it went fine. Therefore, she'd been cool as a cucumber when they went and applied for their marriage license, which actually took less time and effort than she'd expected.

She'd survived an expedited shopping trip for a dress with her mother the night before, which required a great deal of dodging of anything white and ruffly. She was sure she'd come out looking like a cupcake at once point, but Mellie had been on her side, so in the end she got a simple dress that she loved.

It wasn't black, because that might have given her mother a coronary, and she couldn't handle dealing with another parent with heart problems right now. Instead it was deep burgundy, with an empire waist to allow for her growing tummy. It was simple, but beautiful, and retained enough of her Gothic tastes so that she didn't feel like someone else in it. Instead she felt like herself, just a more elegantly dressed version of herself.

Since nothing else about their wedding was traditional, including the bride, Abby didn't hide the dress from Gibbs. Instead she'd come running into the house brandishing the garment bag and insisted on showing him, nearly sending her mother into heart palpitations.

She was beginning to think Gloria wasn't going to survive this wedding.

Luka had told them about a small chapel not far from where he worked, and even took on the job of finding a justice of the peace to agree to marry them on such short notice. He'd even surprised Gibbs and been the one to get a judge to waive the waiting period, citing Abby's pregnancy and their desire to marry in front of family as the reasons.

Everything had come together with an almost disturbing lack of problems in less than twenty-four hours. Maybe that was why she was nervous, she tried to convince herself. It was the lack of problems. She was waiting for something to go wrong.

But Abby knew that wasn't the reason.

It wasn't because she didn't want to marry Gibbs either, because she really did. Maybe it hadn't come about exactly the way she'd fantasized about it, and yes, okay, she had fantasized about it, but the man of your dreams riding in on a white horse to save you from the evil wizard? It was close enough to a fairytale.

And after that kiss… oh that kiss. Gibbs said this was going to be a 'real' marriage, and if that kiss was any predictor of the future, it was going to be a pretty darn passionate one at that. She still wasn't really sure where their relationship stood exactly, but that had been a really nice indicator.

Maybe it was everything just going too well, too easy. Things seemed to have just flowed along, just happened and Abby couldn't help wondering if this was the way things were meant to happen.

She didn't put much store in things like fate or destiny, although when she thought about it, it sounded kinda nice. It didn't have a scientific basis, there wasn't anything physical she could see or test. But her and Gibbs, this marriage, it just seemed right in a way that made her believe in the possibility of fate.

But Abby was never the kind of girl who dreamed about a big wedding, she'd never planned on getting married in the first place. Sure, it worked out great for some people, but she'd seen what it was like when a woman lost who she really was inside, when she spent too much time worrying about another person and forgot about herself.

She'd also seen what happened when two people had no idea what they were doing and jumped into a marriage without thinking about how they were going to meld their lives together or how much work it was going to take.

Both were mistakes she had been determined not to make. Abby didn't see herself ever rolling over and forgetting about her own needs, that just wasn't who she was. But she had to admit that she and Gibbs were about to throw two very different lives together and neither had any idea if it was going to work.

"Abby?" Mellie knocked on the door and peeked in. "You almost ready? It's time to leave."

She tried to keep her emotions off her face, but Mellie saw right through her attempt at a smile.

"Hey," Mellie said, slipping inside the bedroom and closing the door quietly behind her. "It's okay to be nervous. I'm nervous, and I'm not even the one getting married today."

Abby's smile was genuine this time. "I know," she murmured, smoothing the front of her dress absently.

"You sure you want to do this?" Mellie asked, standing in front of her. "I'll sneak you out the back if you want."

Abby nodded, cracking a slight smile. "I'm sure," she said honestly. "I'm just scared."

"Pretty sure that's normal."

Abby let out a soft laugh. "I know, and I hate being normal."

"Abby," Mellie told her, reaching out to give her hand a quick squeeze, "I say this loving you like a sister. You are the furthest thing from normal I have ever known. And that's a compliment."

Abby blinked rapidly, determined not to test the water-fastness of her mascara. "You're gonna make me cry."

Mellie gave her a quick hug. "I'm not trying to make you cry. If anything I'm trying to get you out of this room so we can get to the chapel before your mother starts climbing the walls."

"Did Gibbs leave already?" Abby wanted to know.

"Yeah, he left a half hour ago," Mellie reassured her. "I thought you weren't worried about him seeing you before the wedding?"

"I'm not." Abby sniffled. "I actually wish I'd said I wanted us to ride together. He's kinda my rock," she admitted.

Mellie smiled. "That's exactly what Luka said."

"Does he think I'm nuts for doing this?" Abby asked.

"A little," Mellie admitted. "But he just wants you to be happy. And we all see that Gibbs makes you happy."

Abby nodded. Gibbs did make her happy. She knew he'd made a lot of mistakes with his other wives, probably made some doozies with Shannon too, but somehow that didn't scare her. "I already know all his bad habits," she said to herself.

"That's a good first step." Mellie nodded at the door. "You ready to get this show on the road?"

Abby nodded, her stomach beginning to feel a lot less wibbly wobbly inside, minus the baby wriggling around like a worm on a hook. Because of course he had to be moving like crazy right now. "I think I am."

Mellie drove Abby and her parents to the chapel, where Gibbs was already waiting with Luka and the justice of the peace. Gibbs looked so handsome in a pair of black dress slacks and a pale blue button up shirt. He'd started the day out with a borrowed tie, which Abby had immediately vetoed. No, that was too formal for her Gibbs.

Honestly, she'd rather have seen him in khaki's and a polo shirt, but that was a another thing that would have given her mother a stroke. He looked equally attractive in the button up shirt he'd purchased the day before as he did in his every day work clothes, so she was happy.

She was marrying Gibbs either way, of course she was happy.

Abby wasn't sure what she'd expected, but the ceremony seemed to fly by, and the next thing she knew Gibbs was sliding a simple gold band on her left hand and the justice of the peace was telling him he could kiss her, which he did. Quite thoroughly, with her niece giggling in the background.

And that was it. She was married.

xxx

Gibbs stood on the outskirts of the room, watching Abby flit around between her family members. She looked so beautiful in that dark red dress of hers. She'd shown it to him when she bought it the day before, but that didn't compare to actually seeing her in it.

Abby laughed at something Mellie said, resting a hand on the small of her back which made her belly poke out a little more. He'd heard of some guys who were repulsed or terrified by their wives bodies when they were pregnant, but Gibbs was actually rather turned on.

It was amazing seeing her blossom like that, knowing there was another life inside of her. How other men didn't find that sexy as hell he had no idea.

He was still kind of reeling from the idea that he had just married Abby Scuito. In fact she wasn't Abby Scuito anymore, she was Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs, as the justice of the peace had announced less than an hour before.

Part of him had nearly expected her to change her mind at the last second, although he knew deep down that Abby wouldn't do that to him. She'd promised him the role of her son's father, she would never go back on that promise, not knowing what it meant to him.

His other weddings had all been very different from this. Most of them had been much bigger, although he had eloped with ex-wife number two. Of course later she'd insisted on a large reception type party that pretty much rivaled a wedding, so he wasn't sure if it still counted as eloping in the end.

He honestly hadn't planned on ever doing this again. After his split with Stephanie he was quite happy to be a bachelor again, and vowed to cling to said bachelorhood. He'd thought maybe there was a chance he'd find someone he cared about again, maybe even someone he loved, but didn't think he'd ever find someone worth risking his bank accounts for again.

Boy had he been wrong.

It wasn't long after that Abby Scuito had breezed into his life. She was breaking every rule in the dress code when she showed up to interview for forensic scientist, but Gibbs had taken one look at her resume and her work and told the director at the time that he wouldn't work with another person. It was Abby or no one.

Something about that child-like woman who wore pigtails every day and listened to horrible music at levels that threatened his hearing had spoken to him.

He found himself letting her get away with things he wouldn't put up with from any of his agents. She teased him, she flirted with him, she confused the hell out of him.

He tried to file her away as a substitute daughter, but that could hardly work when every time he kissed her cheek he felt jolts of attraction.

Gibbs had fought that attraction with every fiber of his being. It didn't make sense. Abby wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted something simple, something easy. Abby would complicate his life in every way, which she had.

And he just didn't care.

Gibbs had done a lot of stupid things in his life, made a lot of mistakes, but marrying Abby Scuito would certainly not be one of them. No, this was the beginning of something very special, unless he did something to muck things up.

He was still smiling when Mellie came up behind him. "She looks great, doesn't she?" Mellie smiled back at him.

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, she's stunning."

Mellie leaned against the wall next to Gibbs. "She was so nervous before we left."

"Abby?" Gibbs looked at her in surprise. "Nervous?" This was becoming a bad habit of hers.

"Shaking in her wedding shoes." Mellie laughed.

He found himself frowning.

"Don't look like that." Mellie nudged him with her elbow. "She wasn't having second thoughts. I know what cold feet looks like and that wasn't it. I think she was more worried that you were going to change your mind."

"Not a chance."

Mellie smiled again. "I know. And so did Abby when she saw you standing at the alter."

Sami shot past them, holding what looked like a piece of cake. Gibbs smiled as Mellie took off after her daughter, who had already eaten two slices earlier, calling out vague threats all the way.

"I'm starting to worry about my future," Abby stated from behind him.

Gibbs tucked her against his side. "How so?"

"Have you seen my niece the sugar fiend?" Abby looked up at him and made a face. "I'm pretty sure I just saw what I'm in for in a couple years."

"Not just you," Gibbs reminded her. "We're in this together now."

"You're right." Abby sighed. "I'll just send him to be with you after I've fed him all the sugar."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, laughing a little as he held his bride in his arms.

Nope, he didn't care one whit how complicated his life was going to get, not if it meant he got to have Abby by his side.

 **A/N:** And they are married! But don't worry, we're only about halfway through this journey, there's lots more to come. I got more reviews for the last chapter than I've gotten on a single chapter before, wow! Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't get to respond to everyone, it's been a crazy week. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter just as much!


	10. Chapter Ten: On the Road

**Chapter Ten: On the Road**

 **Rule #52: Never hold back.***

 _*Not an official rule, I borrowed it from Proseac's story entitled "Rule #52" because I was running out of applicable rules. Lol._

It was hard for Abby to say goodbye to her family. She and Gibbs had spent a little over a week in Louisiana and although the original intent had been to support her father, in the end she felt like it was more all of them supporting her. It felt like she was letting go of her entire support system.

Everyone had gathered at the Scuito family home to see the couple off. Gloria was inside packing snacks she insisted they needed to take, and Ben had disappeared on some secret errand which left Abby outside with her brother and his family.

Sami had her arms wrapped around Abby, looking like she had no plans on letting go. "I'm gonna miss you Aunt Abby," she said, looking forlorn.

"I'm gonna miss you too, munchkin," Abby told her, giving her a squeeze.

"Bye baby," Sami said, releasing her grip on Abby and patting her belly. Her eyes widened when the baby gave a well timed kick. "He kicked me!" she squealed, running over to tell Mellie excitedly.

Mellie and Luka smiled down at their daughter.

I"I want a baby brother. Or sister," Sami announced.

Gibbs was standing a few feet away, smirking at the petrified expression that came over both her parent's faces. Abby grinned at him. She had a feeling another kid wasn't in either of their immediate plans.

"We'll see," Mellie said, patting her daughter on the head.

Luka held out his hand for Gibbs to shake. "You take good care of my sister," he warned, causing Abby to roll her eyes in friendly exasperation.

"You take good care of that little girl of yours," Gibbs replied seriously. He tweaked Sami on the nose and she giggled.

Abby bit her lip, thinking of Kelly, as she found herself doing more and more these days. She already loved the baby inside her so much, it made it hard to imagine how Gibbs had dealt with such a heartbreaking loss for so long.

Abby had given Luka a brief summary of Gibbs' past, so she knew her brother understood just how important of a directive he was being given.

Luka tugged Sami a little closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "With my whole life," he promised solemnly.

"Thanks for keeping me from going completely insane on my wedding day," Abby said softly to Mellie, who let out a soft chuckle.

"It was my pleasure," she said honestly, giving Abby a tight hug. "I'm sure if Luka and I ever change out minds about getting married you'll do the same for me."

Abby beamed. "You betcha I will."

As Abby was hugging Luka she noticed Ben standing on the porch with a small box in his hands. He motioned for Gibbs to come over. Abby started to follow, but Ben shook his head. _Just Gibbs_ , he signed, making Abby frown. A little surprised, she nonetheless nudged Gibbs toward her father.

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and walked over to the porch where Ben was waiting patiently. Ben pressed the box into Gibbs' hands and smiled warmly.

 _I wanted to give you this before the wedding, but I couldn't remember where I'd put it_ , Ben told him.

Gibbs held the box in his hands for a moment. The small size of the box didn't leave many guesses as to what would be in it, Ben's words only narrowed the list down.

 _Open it_ , Ben urged.

Gibbs slid the top off the simple black box to expose two gold rings inside. One, a thick and fairly simple men's band, the other more delicate, with a medium sized emerald surrounded by what appeared to be real diamond chips.

 _They were my parents',_ Ben explained. _Abby was only four when they died, but they adored her. She was their whole world._

 _Ben_ , Gibbs signed, feeling a little overwhelmed.

 _I always intended for them to be hers_ , Ben told him. _And when you told me you were going to propose, I hoped you two might wear them._

Gibbs took a glance behind him at Abby, who was watching him curiously from where she stood with Luka and his family. He'd known Abby wasn't the kind of girl to ask, but he'd intended to buy her a ring other than the simple gold band he'd put on her finger at the wedding. He figured it could wait until they got home. But this, this was far more perfect than anything he could have purchased for her. She would love it.

Gibbs put the lid back on the box and tucked it into his pocket securely. _I would be honored_ , he told Ben, giving him a gentle hug. _And I know Abby will be thrilled as well._

 _I'm so thankful she has you,_ Ben signed. _I know I don't need to worry about her with you around._

Abby couldn't seem to hold back her curiosity any longer and bounded up the steps to pull both of the men into a tight hug.

Ben winked at Gibbs when she finally let go. _You can show her later._

"Show me what?" Abby frowned up at Gibbs, who gave her a crooked smile. _You two keeping secrets from me?_ She signed furiously at her father, pouting.

Ben kissed his daughter on the cheek to appease her.

Gloria came out with two grocery bags full of snacks, just in time to distract Abby from Ben's gift. Gibbs was happy about that. He wanted to give them to her later, in private. His proposal had been kind of a disaster, surely he could scrounge up a little romance for the rings.

It didn't take much longer after that for the rest of their goodbyes to be said. Ten minutes later, Gibbs and Abby were both tucked inside their rental car, driving down the road with the entire clan waving after them.

Abby was turned around in her seat, waving exuberantly out the back window. When they were out of sight, she turned around and faced the front, heaving a giant sigh.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked, his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, I guess." Abby sighed again. "I'm just going to miss everyone, that's all."

Gibbs reached out with his right hand and gave her thigh a pat. "I'm sure everyone will be up to visit after the baby's here."

"I know." Abby sniffled. "I'm just gonna be overly emotional for a little while, okay?"

Gibbs felt her cover his hand with both of hers. "Go right ahead," he told her. "You're entitled."

xxx

Abby forgot about the box her father gave Gibbs until it was late afternoon. "Hey," she said, trying to sound casual. "You ever going to tell me what was in that box my dad gave you?"

Gibbs gave her a non-committal grunt.

Abby narrowed her eyes. That was always a sure sign he was keeping something from her. She knew how to translate Gibbs' grunts, and that one was the kind he usually directed towards Tony or Tim when he didn't want to explain something to them.

She did not like it being directed at her.

"I'm hungry," she said after a few minutes. He wouldn't tell her until he was good and ready, and she couldn't interrogate him anyway on an empty stomach.

Gibbs glanced over at her. "We're gonna stop in about a half hour. Can you make it until then?"

"Probably," Abby admitted, although that would be because she just remembered getting an accidental extra candy bar out of a vending machine one day at the hospital. It was still in the bottom of her purse and sounded really good.

Gibbs attention was back on the road. That was good because Abby didn't want them to get in an accident, but bad because she couldn't try reading his expression if he wasn't looking at her. Eighty percent of Gibbs' communication was through facial expressions so it was hard to talk to him when you couldn't see his whole face.

"I was thinking about when we should stop tonight," she said, shifting in the seat as her newly acquired weight was already making it harder to stay comfortable while sitting for long periods.

"I already got us a reservation."

She frowned. "When did you do that?"

"During one of your last pee breaks."

"Oh." Abby knew there was part of Gibbs that couldn't help being impatient at how many times she'd needed to stop already, but she couldn't help it! Baby boy was using her bladder like a bouncy castle. And when she had to walk inside the gas station to use the bathroom she'd see snacks and get hungry.

Which she always seemed to be these days.

Abby looked over at Gibbs in surprise as he sped up suddenly. He changed lanes and passed several cars. Normally she was used to his Speedy Gonzalez driving, but up until now he'd been driving more like a little old grandmother.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

A muscle in Gibb's jaw twitched.

"Don't you dare lie to me," she warned. She was pregnant, not mentally incapacitated.

"I thought someone was following us," Gibbs admitted, keeping his eyes on the road and his hands firmly on the wheel.

"Following us?" Abby frowned. "Who would be following us?"

Gibbs remained silent.

"Mikel?" she said softly. "You don't think he'd drive all the way down here to follow us, do you? How would he even know where we were?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Might just be imagining things." But he took the next exit, which signaled to Abby that he was more sure than not that they were being trailed.

Abby sat quietly and tried not to freak out. Okay, if Mikel was following them, how had he found out where they were? He was a decent hacker, maybe he'd gotten into her email account. She'd emailed Ziva a few times while they were in Louisiana. It wouldn't have been hard to trace the email if she hadn't mentioned enough details in the emails themselves.

Gibbs took several turns before pulling into a nearly empty strip mall and stopping the car around back by the cargo bays.

"It's probably nothing," he said to Abby, his eyes on the rear view mirror.

"But what if it's not?" Abby couldn't help asking.

Gibbs reached over and squeezed her hand. "Not gonna let anything happen to you, Abbs." No matter how many times he said that to her it had the same effect. It made Abby feel a wave of calming warmth come over her.

Her heart still beat faster than she was comfortable with as they waited there for several minutes. Gibbs didn't let go of her hand, but he never looked over at her. He kept his eyes on the rear view mirror, which reflected the only way to drive to the back of the building.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gibbs took a deep breath and turned towards Abby. "If it was him, we lost him."

Abby bit her lip. "You sure?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he used his free hand to pull out his cell phone and dial McGee. She heard McGee's voice answer and Gibbs began barking instructions. "I want to know Mawher's current location asap. And from now on I want you monitoring his phone's location every time he makes a call."

Gibbs had the volume on his cell phone turned up to max, so Abby could hear McGee's answers pretty clear.

"His last credit card purchase was a gas station near Annapolis, but that was almost three days ago. I don't see any cell or credit hits after that."

"Call me the second that changes." Gibbs flipped the phone shut and tossed it onto the dashboard.

Abby squeezed his hand. "Do you think it was him?" she asked, trying not to sound as rattled as she felt.

"I don't know," Gibbs said honestly.

"What does your gut say?"

Gibbs turned to her. "My gut says to get you on a plane to DC asap."

Abby shook her head. "No way. Not a chance. You promised me a trip to meet your father and I am not letting that mouth breather ruin this trip. Tell your gut I want a second opinion."

He cracked a tiny smile, but was still serious. "In that case, we'd better pick up some maps and stay off the back roads."

"Okay." Abby nodded. "I'll keep my cell phone off too, just in case he tries to hack into my records." Just to be safe she'd pull out the battery as well.

Gibbs let go of her hand and touched her cheek. "I'm not happy about this," he said simply.

"You just wanted to get out of introducing me to your father," she teased, leaning instinctively into his touch.

Gibbs slid his hand around the back of her neck. "If I'm avoiding anything, it's introducing him to you. He's not always very open minded, and he can be a crab."

"As opposed to my husband, the little ray of sunshine?" Abby teased, grinning at him.

"You'll see." Gibbs leaned in and rested his forehead against hers for a few seconds. "We'd better get going, we'll miss our reservation."

"Mmm." Abby was too content at that second to care. She closed her eyes, which was when Gibbs decided to lean in and press his lips softly against hers. His beard tickled a little, but in a good way.

He pulled back reluctantly. "Later," he said with a wicked grin.

Abby shivered. This was the first time he had kissed her (on the lips anyways) since their wedding. They had both been exhausted after the wedding and Abby had barely gotten to the bed before she fell asleep. She'd woken up when Gibbs climbed into bed, but he'd simply shushed her and pulled her into his arms.

She still wasn't completely sure how their physical relationship was going to manifest. Abby knew it would happen, she just wasn't sure when. Part of her wanted to jump the man, part of her understood why he might be moving more slowly. They were both healing from fractured relationships, and while they had known each other for years, this was all still very new.

Going slow didn't bother Abby. Usually she jumped into things full speed, never stopping to think things over. Maybe she'd done that with this marriage too, but she desperately wanted things with Gibbs to work out. And didn't slow and steady win the race?

xxx

Gibbs had expected Abby to be wide awake and staring out the rear view mirror nervously for the rest of the ride. To his surprise, she dozed off not long after they stopped at a small convenience store so he could grab some maps (while she went to the bathroom again, and picked out more snacks. They'd decided just to snack on what Gloria had packed them instead of stopping for lunch and were down to nothing but carrot sticks).

Less than an hour later they pulled up at the restaurant McGee had told Gibbs about. He took a deep breath. Abby might be all right, but he was still very uneasy.

He knew Mawher was a threat, but he hadn't expected the threat to affect them until they got back home. And he knew McGee had gotten Ziva and Tony to help out with keeping tabs on the guy, but internally he was feeling a little panicked and out of control.

What if he couldn't keep Abby safe? What if Mawher did something crazy? The last time McGee called with an update he'd told him about interviewing a couple of Mawher's exes. They all had stories to tell, ranging from mildly weird to insanely creepy.

He turned off the car and turned towards Abby. She'd crumpled his red hoodie into a ball and was using it as a pillow, between her and the passenger side door. She had put her hair into two identical braids that morning, but they were half falling out now, little clumps of hair falling across her face.

Gibbs let his gaze move down her body to settle on her stomach. She was wearing a snug black tank top. He smiled a little, thinking that black wasn't a slimming color anymore, not with that tummy.

It seemed unbelievable now that he could have missed her pregnancy, even under baggy clothes. She was still petite enough that from behind you wouldn't even realize she was pregnant, but the second you saw her from the side or front it was instantly obvious. Gibbs was already amazed her body had stretched this far, it would be fascinating to see the rest of this pregnancy.

Gibbs was awe inspired that Abby was letting him be a part of this, that she was letting him be a father again. It was such a wonderful privilege. If Mawher wasn't such a psychopath, he'd probably be encouraging her to let him be a part of his son's life, despite their relationship problems. He couldn't rob another man of that precious gift, not without a damn good reason.

But if Mawher wasn't who he was, Gibbs wouldn't be in this situation. If Abby had met a great guy all those months ago she'd still be with him. Heck, maybe she'd even be married to that person.

Gibbs sat up straight. They had only been married for two days and he was already feeling more protective. Sure, he'd been protective of Abby before, but her being his wife only magnified those feelings a thousandfold. She was his wife, and he'd be damned if he would let anyone take her away from him.

He hadn't been able to protect Shannon, or Kelly, it had taken him years to realize that. That he couldn't have changed things. But Abby? Abby he could keep safe. Would keep safe.

No matter what.

Gibbs was about to tear his eyes away from her stomach to tell Abby that they were at the restaurant, when he saw something move.

On her stomach.

Abby had said the baby's kicks were getting stronger every day, Gibbs had even been able to feel something the day before, but it had never occurred to him that you would be able to see movement from the outside of her body.

He moved a little closer, as far as the rental car allowed, and reached out to rest his hand gently on her stomach where he'd seen a tiny movement.

A few seconds later, he had almost given up when he felt a very firm 'kick' under his palm.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Abby murmured, her eyes sleepily blinking at him. "I felt one like that this morning, but then I think he went to sleep and I couldn't get him to do it again."

Gibbs' thumb gently stroked back and forth on her stomach as he stared into her eyes. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, most of them beginning with 'thank you', but he couldn't seem to find the words. Instead he leaned down very slowly and placed a lingering kiss on her belly. "I can't wait to meet you," he whispered.

When he looked back up at Abby, she was staring at him with a heavy lidded expression of contentment and desire. She stroked his hair back with her fingers and smiled. "I assume we're at the restaurant?"

Gibbs nodded and sat up straight. "You aren't going to make us sit here for twenty minutes while you primp are you?" he teased.

Abby was tugging the elastics out of her braids and finger combing them into soft waves. "Hardly. Although for that statement I should pull out my makeup bag."

Gibbs smirked.

"I'm ready," she told him, sliding her feet back into the shoes she'd kicked off earlier.

As they climbed out of the car, Gibbs pocketed the keys, allowing him to surreptitiously check to make sure he still had the rings in his pocket.

He reached out to grab her hand as they approached the restaurant. There was something surprisingly intimate about getting to see Abby with her hair down. He wasn't sure when she'd adopted the pigtails for her signature look, but he could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her with her hair down, so it had probably been before they met.

A young waitress led them to their table, staring conspicuously when he pulled out Abby's chair for her. He could see by the expression on Abby's face she was holding in laughter, so quickly took their menus and shooed the waitress away.

Abby was grinning at him across the table. "I'm not sure if she thinks you're hot or she was trying to make sure I was over eighteen," she teased, picking up her menu.

"I hope you have your ID with you," he replied dryly.

She giggled. "Maybe it's the beard. Don't get any ideas though, I love the beard."

"I was considering just a mustache," Gibbs told her.

"No!" Abby exclaimed, her hand shooting across the table to slap his menu down. "Don't you dare. You'd look terrible with just a mustache."

He raised his eyebrows.

"What? It's true." Abby crossed her arms. "Seriously, don't. My great uncle Bob had a mustache and it looked like a caterpillar died on his upper lip. I had nightmares as a kid about it coming to life and and attacking me."

Gibbs was only about fifty percent sure she was kidding about the last part. He tapped his menu lightly, reminding her silently that their overly curious waitress would be returning shortly to take their drink orders.

Sure enough, she was back, beaming an overly wide smile at the couple as she brandished her order pad. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Are we too far north for sweet tea?" Abby asked.

The waitress smiled. "Of course not! And what can I get you, sir?"

"I'll just have whatever's on draft."

She nodded, scribbling. "Okay, I'll get those drink orders in and be back for your entree orders in a few."

Gibbs wasn't sorry to see the woman go. Abby was right, she had been staring at them kind of funny. Despite Abby's ideas, he suspected something far simpler: she was trying to figure out if they were on a date or not.

He didn't blame the woman, there was quite an age difference between him and Abby. It was human nature to wonder, especially when the man was kinda scruffy looking with a gray beard and the woman was, well, Abby.

He could have just made a comment about Abby being his wife or grabbed her hand or something, but he didn't really care what other people thought. It was none of their business. If they wanted to run around spending their time wondering, let 'em. Besides, he didn't want Abby to ever feel like he was showing her affection for any other reason than he wanted to. Their relationship was far more important than one snoopy waitress.

Their drinks arrived quickly and and not long after that they both ordered their meals. Gibbs was deciding exactly when he wanted to show Abby the rings while she kept the conversation going.

"I can't believe you really called McGee to get help finding a restaurant," Abby told him, sipping on her tea. "I mean, of course I believe you, because you told me and you never lie to me, but I just can't imagine the conversation. It must have been weird, at least on his end. And how did he know what town we were going to be in at dinnertime? Did you tell him where you were and how fast you were driving and let him do the math?"

Gibbs simply raised his eyebrows, waiting to be sure she was finished with her ramble.

She wasn't. "Of course not. That's silly, McGee already knows how fast you drive. He probably wrote some kind of computer program to figure it all out, or hacked into the Zagat guide database."

He couldn't help but smile a little at her imaginings of McGee doing crazy geeky things to help him out. "Actually he said his parents ate here once."

"Oh." Abby looked a little disappointed at the less than exciting conclusion to the mystery. "Well, so far it seems like a great place. They know how to make real sweet tea anyway, which is always a bonus."

Gibbs took a sip of his beer. Abby had insisted on him having sweet tea during one meal in Louisiana and he was much happier with a beer.

Abby set her drink down and folded her hands on her stomach. "Are you ever going to show me what my dad gave you this morning?" she asked, her eyes pleading with him.

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh. "Was trying to be romantic, Abbs."

"Be romantic then. Just do it fast," she added.

"All right." He reached into his pocket, figuring this was probably as romantic as it was going to get. He pulled the ring box out out and set it on the table in front of him.

Abby's eyes watched the box closely, but she managed to stay quiet.

"Was gonna get you a ring when we got back home," Gibbs told her softly, playing with the box with his fingertips. "Could have bought one when I got your wedding band, but I wanted to wait and get a better one."

Gibbs knew Abby wasn't the kind of girl who cared more about the ring than the guy, but he knew all women wanted a ring. It wasn't just about the money spent, or the diamonds, it was the symbol. The round piece of jewelry that proclaimed someone loved you enough to vow to spend the rest of their life with you.

"You're killing me," Abby said in a soft tone, bouncing a little in her seat.

Gibbs laughed again, opening the box. "Apparently these were your grandparents," he told her, holding up the two rings.

Abby bit her lip. "I can't believe he gave you those," she said finally, looking genuinely surprised. "I thought it might be jewelry, but I never thought it would be those."

Gibbs picked up Abby's left hand and slid the smaller of the rings onto her ring finger. "I got the feeling that it meant a lot to him that we wear them."

"We?" Abby looked up from her hand, where she had been staring at the ring he'd just put on her finger.

Gibbs held the other ring up for her perusal.

She looked surprised. "I didn't think you wanted to wear a ring," she admitted, her gaze dropping to the table.

He reached over and tilted her chin back up. "I'm married too," he said simply, placing the ring on the table in front of her. The store where he'd gotten Abby's wedding band hadn't had anything in his size and he'd intended to get one when he bought her ring. It hadn't occurred to him that she would think he wasn't going to wear a ring.

Abby stared for a few seconds, before picking the band up. By the smile on her face as she slid the band onto his finger, Gibbs suspected that he had done all right in the romance department.

xxx

Abby had never been much of a jewelry girl, not the fancy stuff anyway, but she couldn't stop staring at her ring. She had hazy memories of playing with this ring while sitting on her grandmother's lap as a little girl. It was even more beautiful than she'd remembered.

And Gibbs had put it on her finger.

She was genuinely surprised that her father had given Gibbs the rings. Actually, she was surprised that he still had them. He'd never mentioned them to her and she hadn't thought much about it, assuming that somewhere along the way they'd been sold or given away to someone else in the family.

This was a huge thing in her eyes. It meant her dad really truly accepted her marrying Gibbs, and that alone made Abby's eyes feel a little misty. Add that to the look on Gibbs' face when he'd slid the ring on her finger and she was a pile of happy hormones that evening.

Gibbs booked them a room at a small but very comfortable hotel for the night. He rejected her suggestion of them switching off driving during the night with a well timed eyebrow lift and she hadn't fought very hard. She wasn't going to complain if he wanted her to have a nice comfy bed and a warm shower.

The shower was where Gibbs was right then. She was trying not to be too hopeful that he'd come into the room shirtless, but she definitely wouldn't complain if he did.

Abby stretched out across the king sized bed and admired her ring some more. Strangely enough, the ring was what made it all feel more real. Of course she knew it was real when she stood next to Gibbs and spoke her vows, but this just strengthened those feelings.

She wondered if Gibbs felt different too, or if it was just her. They had only kissed twice since that first heated kiss they'd shared when she agreed to marry him, and they hadn't kissed since he'd given her the ring. He seemed to be acting different, but she still wondered how much of that was in her head.

The most passionately Gibbs looked at her was when they talked about the baby. She wasn't stupid, she'd known he wanted the baby more than her when he proposed, but she still continued clinging to the idea that he wanted her too.

Abby rolled onto her side and heaved herself into a sitting position, something which was already getting harder to do. She'd never liked when women referred to themselves as a beached whale when they were pregnant. It seemed so negative and derogatory, but she could definitely understand the reference better now. Maybe a better example was a beetle on its back. It sounded less like a veiled insult.

The shower turned off. Abby glanced towards the bathroom and sighed. Time to stop admiring her ring and get ready for bed. It was getting late and she was already tired, despite having dozed on and off for much of the day while Gibbs drive.

She was staring at her duffel bag, trying to work up the energy to change into her pajamas when Gibbs came out of the bathroom. To her dismay, he was wearing a white undershirt with his plaid flannel sleep pants, but she could still see the outline of his arm muscles under the sleeves. She could be satisfied with that.

Gibbs dropped his laundry down beside his own bag and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "Need help with something?"

"Just motivating myself to get ready for bed." Abby sighed, still staring at the bag.

"Sleep in what you've got on," he suggested.

Abby looked down. That was tempting. Her shirt was comfy enough, but the black maternity jeans had to go. They were comfier when they hadn't been worn for eight hours in a row.

"Sure, why not?" she said, sliding off the bed and wiggling out of her jeans. She was poking her legs under the covers when she realized Gibbs was staring at her strangely. "What?" she asked innocently.

Gibbs got up slowly, walked around to the side of the bed where she was sitting and stared at her solemnly.

Abby looked up at him and swallowed. "What?" she asked again, a little softer this time. He looked like an alligator staring at a dumb tourist taking pictures.

The kiss was firm, but unhurried, and very very deliberate.

So much for taking things slow, Abby thought, as her back was pressed against the bed. But she wasn't complaining.

Not one bit.

A/N: We just bought a house this week, so I didn't get to do my final edit until today so I hope there's no glaring errors. But hey, no more Italics! Yay! (none of the three places I post this will retain my formatting so I had to do it manually. THREE TIMES)

Only one more chapter til we get to Sweetwater...

 **UPDATE 9-11-15: Moving has been more work than expected. Haven't been able to edit let alone write, so we're on a temporary hiatus. I'm planning on participating in Nanowrimo in November so updates might not resume until December. I'm hoping it won't take that long, but right now this move is sucking the life out of me, sorry!**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Remembering

**A/N:** Profuse apology at the end.

 **Previously:**

 _The kiss was firm, but unhurried, and very very deliberate._

 _So much for taking things slow, Abby thought, as her back was pressed against the bed. But she wasn't complaining._

 _Not one bit._

 **Chapter Eleven: Remembering**

 **Rule #8: Never take anything for granted.**

Gibbs woke up with his left arm completely numb and a mouthful of hair. He tried to move his right arm, which was wrapped around Abby's waist, to remove said hair, but she was gripping him with both her hands and wouldn't let go.

A slightly satisfied smile spread across his face. He hadn't been planning on kissing Abby last night, not like that at least. Maybe a soft kiss before they fell asleep. Instead, he'd been overcome with a surge of lust and they made out like teenagers, touching and stroking and drowning in each other's mouths until they were out of breath.

He knew she'd been confused when he'd pulled away and tucked her under his arm. It had been one of the hardest things he had ever done, but Abby deserved more than a hotel room after an exhausting drive.

Gibbs had come to the realization last night that he'd fallen in love with Abby. Not just the friendly fondness he'd had for her before Mexico, but a real, true, powerful love that startled him with its intensity. It was different from what he'd felt for Shannon, but no less strong. It was what he'd been searching for all those years.

Gibbs didn't want to make love to his wife until he'd courted her the way she deserved. Abby said she wanted this to be a real marriage, but he couldn't in good conscience consummate their marriage until he'd at least tried to make it up to her for leaving that summer.

"Abbs," he said softly, moving his head away from her hair and breathing on her bare neck.

"Too early. Don't wanna get up," she mumbled, burrowing her face deeper into the pillow.

He managed to slip his left arm out from underneath her pillow and let the blood flow back into it. Once the pins and needles were gone, he used it to prop his head up so he could get a better look at her.

Waking up with Abby's half naked body pressed against him was quite an experience, one he wouldn't mind repeating in the very near future, but if they were going to make it to Stillwater by tomorrow, they had to get on the road in an hour.

"Saw a sign for a Waffle House down the road," he said softly, remembering Abby telling him that was her favorite restaurant as a kid.

She rolled onto her back and opened one eye. "You're not lying just to get me up, are you?"

He gave her a half grin. "Would I do that?"

"Yeah." Abby giggled, closing her eye back up. "You definitely would."

Gibbs gave her a soft open mouthed kiss. "Well, I'm not lying now."

Abby sighed in contentment. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She blinked her eyes open reluctantly, smiling up at him in the most amazing way. He hadn't seen a smile like that in a long time.

And he'd never thought he'd get to see it on Abby's face.

Grudgingly, he pushed his body into a sitting position, groaning a little as the muscles in his back complained. "Damn hotel mattress," he muttered, pulling on his jeans.

"Really?" Abby had rolled over onto her side and looked rather amused. "You've been sleeping on your couch for God knows how long and you're complaining about a mattress?"

Gibbs decided to stay silent on that subject, but he honestly liked his couch. It was comfortable. He'd bought it especially for sleeping on when he'd realized he hated sleeping in a big bed by himself. So in between wives, he'd had his couch.

He kissed her on the forehead before padding off to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Abby took a quick shower and they dressed in relative silence, which was a little unsettling. He'd grown used to Abby's chatter. Even when she was reading, she couldn't seem to stop herself from sharing little bits of amusing dialogue, or scientific inaccuracies (which usually culminated in a ten minute discussion of exactly how they had messed up, full of scientific mumbo jumbo that usually went right over Gibbs head).

On the rare occasions when she was quiet, she was usually bouncing with excitement about something, wide eyed and beaming at the world.

At that moment Abby looked over at him, tilting her head slightly as she paused in the middle of her makeup routine, which was delightfully quick and didn't require lots of 'war paint' like Diane had always done.

Gibbs tilted his head back, raising his eyebrows until she got a little smile on her face and turned away with the slightest flush to her cheeks.

He was giving himself until they got home. If he hadn't proven himself by then, he was just selfish enough to not be able to wait any longer.

"Jethro?" Abby asked softly when they were in the car. This was probably the first time she'd called him by his name without starting to say "Gibbs" first.

"Yeah, Abbs?"

She fiddled with her seat belt. "I love you," she told him, staring into his eyes with unwavering honesty written in hers.

They had said the words hundreds of times over the years, but Gibbs knew what she was doing, what she was saying. It was different now, it meant something so much more.

"Love you too," he murmured, giving her a quick kiss before starting the car. He began driving down the road to the Waffle House before he changed his mind and spent the day in a hotel room bed with his wife.

xxx

Abby had never realized how much pregnancy could change appetite. She'd assumed she would want to eat more, but being pregnant had left her ravenous almost all the time.

Breakfast seemed to be the worst. She'd wake up with her stomach growling with hunger and if she didn't eat within an hour or so she'd be ready to bite off the head of the nearest person.

That morning she woke up in a much more cheerful mood, for obvious reasons, but it didn't stop her from ordering waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage when they arrived at the restaurant.

"Do you think he could tell I was pregnant, or did he just think I'm a giant pig?" Abby asked after their waiter walked away, still scribbling away at his order pad. He'd kept starting to turn to Gibbs for his order, and then she'd continue with another item, and left with a bemused look on his face.

"You look plenty pregnant to me," Gibbs said diplomatically, carefully avoiding answering the actual question. He'd been married too many times to fall for that trick.

She stuck her tongue out at him, feeling childish and petulant, and frankly too hungry to care if she looked like a small water buffalo at the watering hole.

Gibbs didn't smile, but he did look pleased. She loved being able to read his moods. He usually kept his feelings so hidden, so close to him, but she could always tell when he was upset or happy, even when no one else could.

Someone had left a local paper on an empty table which Gibbs appropriated and began reading. Abby fiddled with her new phone until their food came, content to let Gibbs read while she checked out the addictive little games included on the device.

At some point before their food arrived, a family was seated to the table next to their booth. There was a mother and a father, both appearing to be in their mid thirties, and a baby seated in one of the restaurant's wooden high chairs.

The baby was seated with her back to them, but kept turning around to sneak shy little glances at Gibbs, who seemed to be completely oblivious as he read his paper.

Abby found it adorable.

When the food finally arrived, she dug into her waffles and moaned in ecstasy. Surely nothing had ever tasted quite that good before.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Good?" he asked, taking a bite of his toast.

"Beyond good," she told him. "These are possible the best waffles in the world. Not that I've tried all the waffles in the world, because I've only had waffles in four and a half countries but these are definitely the best waffles I've had so far."

Gibbs gave her some kind of non-committal grunt as an answer, which didn't really bother her because she was too busy enjoying her food to worry about talking. However, after four waffles, two sausage links and three pieces of bacon she was beginning to get full.

Abby leaned back in the booth, shifting her body around to try and give her internal organs a little more room, a futile effort these days. She still had three and a half months to go in this pregnancy and had no idea how her little guy was going to manage to take up more room.

While she waited for digestion to give her enough room for the rest of her eggs she glanced over at the baby at the table beside them, who was completely turned around in her chair, chewing on her fist and staring at Gibbs.

"Aw, she likes you," Abby said, beaming at Gibbs.

Gibbs gave a half smile and the baby grinned around her fist, her eyes lighting up. She waved her free hand, slapping the side of the high chair in excitement.

Abby smiled at the baby, then up at her parents, who were looking on with amusement. They tried to lure her attention back to the table with a bite of food, but she wasn't having any of it. She just wanted to stare at Gibbs.

"You just attract a posse wherever we go," Abby teased, deciding she had a little more room for eggs and maybe a bite of Gibbs' toast.

Gibbs grabbed his last piece of toast before she could even move her hand towards it. "If you want toast, order your own."

She stuck out her lower lip, but didn't really care. He was right, and besides, any second now the baby was going to shift and poke an elbow into her intestines and that toast would seem like a really bad idea.

When they were finally finished, Gibbs had just started to order a coffee to go when she nudged him under the table with her foot.

"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's mean to flaunt your coffee in front of me all day."

"You could have a cup. You could have decaf."

Abby rolled her eyes. "We both know it wouldn't just be one cup. Have I ever just had one Caf-Pow? And decaf is just a tease."

Their waiter was looking back and forth between them. He seemed torn between amusement and nervousness.

Gibbs sighed, took two dollars out of the stack of bills in his hand, and handed the rest to the waiter. "Never mind on the coffee and we don't need any change."

"Sorry," Abby said after a moment. "I don't mean to be totally unreasonable, but you've had three cups already this morning and it just smells so good."

"Nah." Gibbs reached across the table and patted her hand. "I'm proud of ya for knowing your limits. Won't kill me to skip cup number four. If I need more later I'll get it with lunch or dinner so you don't have to smell it in the car."

"Thanks." Abby slid across the booth and heaved herself out of the seat. In another month or so that move was going to become impossible without either a pull or a push.

She waved at the little girl who had been watching them throughout their meal. "Bye!" she said cheerfully, smiling both at the baby and her parents.

"Thanks for keeping her entertained," the father said to Gibbs. "I haven't had a meal this quiet in months."

His wife swatted him on the shoulder. "Don't you listen to him, she's such a good baby. You must just be one of those people who kids always love."

"He is," Abby replied before Gibbs could say anything. "That's how I know he's going to be a great father."

"What's her name?" Gibbs asked the father.

"Katie."

Abby must have looked a little shaken, so Gibbs said goodbye to the couple and led her out of the restaurant. Once they were settled back into the car, he turned and asked her what was wrong.

"In the beginning, I was hoping I'd have a girl," Abby admitted, looking down at her burgeoning stomach. "I wanted to name her after Kate."

Her eyes began to mist up and Gibbs let her cuddle up against his side as he turned the car on. "I'm sure Kate would have loved that," he told her.

"Maybe it's for the best," Abby mused. "I wouldn't want my baby to feel burdened with the name of a dead woman. I just miss her a lot."

"I know. I miss her too." Gibbs squeezed her shoulders. "It hasn't even been two years Abbs, it's natural to miss her."

"Maybe it's too soon," Abby said, wiping away the single tear which had escaped. "Maybe in a few years if we have a little girl it wouldn't be so raw."

She realized her mistake the second the words were out of her mouth. Stupid, she told herself, mentally beating her head against the dashboard. You haven't been married a week and you're throwing the idea of more kids into the mix?

She didn't want to look up, didn't want to see what Gibbs face would be telling her. If he wasn't ready to talk about it, she wasn't ready to hear. Not yet.

Gibbs gave a non-committal hum. "How about we worry about this one first," he said finally, giving her belly a soft caress.

Abby wanted to give him the kiss of a lifetime for not freaking out at her and running away. Every time she thought she knew just how amazing Gibbs was, he did something to surprise her.

She wondered if he had any idea how lucky she felt.

xxx

"You're sure you don't want to just go home?" Gibbs asked as they drove through Virginia. "Just say the word and we can be there by dinnertime." He hadn't seen any signs of them being followed since the previous day, but he'd still feel more comfortable taking her straight home. And of course he had a selfish reason for wanting to do so.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Nice try, Jethro. You just keep on driving north until we hit Stillwater."

He shrugged. "Figured it was worth a try." He was dreading the trip to his hometown, but it was what Abby wanted to do and he couldn't seem to say no to her anymore.

Abby fiddled with the stations a bit before turning the radio off and leaning back in her seat. "I don't suppose you're ever going to tell me why the two of you stopped speaking."

Gibbs sighed. He really hated talking about that kind of stuff, but if this marriage was going to work better than the previous three he knew he was going to have to to open up more.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Abby said quickly. Figured it was worth a try."

He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. "It's complicated," he said finally. "We never got along much, not since I was a teenager."

"What about when you were a kid?"

That…that wasn't the question Gibbs had anticipated. He didn't think about when he was a kid much. Mostly he remembered the fights when he was a teenager, how bad things had gotten after his mom died. Visits where Shannon kept the peace and he kept his mouth shut.

He'd been happier then. When you had a family you loved who loved you back it didn't seem to matter if your father and you never saw eye to eye.

"Jethro?" Abby asked softly.

"Yeah, gimme a sec." Apparently he'd been quiet enough to make Abby nervous. She was more sensitive these days, less sure of herself. Gibbs wasn't sure what was just from the pregnancy hormones and what was because of Mawher's stalking.

"He took me fishing," Gibbs said finally. "Every Saturday night he'd take me out late to catch worms and every Sunday morning when the store was closed he took me fishing. If the creek wasn't frozen, we were out there."

"That sounds like a nice memory."

It was. A nice memory Gibbs realized he had not thought about in far too long. Somehow the angry teenage angst had stopped him from remembering all of the good times that came before.

"You'll take the baby fishing when he's old enough, right?" Abby asked.

Gibbs couldn't help smiling a little at the image that conjured up. "Yeah, I'll take him fishing."

"We have to start thinking about names soon," Abby told him. "We can't just keep calling him 'the baby'."

"Plenty of time," Gibbs told her. "Besides, you're the one carrying him. I think the naming rights are all yours."

"Oh no you don't." Abby pointed a finger at him and narrowed her eyes. "We are partners in this, remember? That was your choice and I'm not doing this alone or else I'll name him Fergus."

"Fergus is a nice strong name," Gibbs deadpanned, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Either that or Leroy Jethro Jr," Abby slung back.

Gibbs couldn't help cringe internally. Oh yeah, Jackson would love that. "I've always liked the name Matthew," he said softly.

"Can't," Abby said quickly. "My high school boyfriend's name was Matthew and he was one sick puppy."

Gibbs glanced over at her. "I'm not going to ask, and I don't want to know."

She giggled. "Probably not. And just so you know, Max, Mark, and Mason are all out for similar reasons."

"Should we just rule out all the M names?" Gibbs quipped.

"Maybe." Abby smiled. "I dated a lot in high school."

Gibbs did not want to be thinking about a teenage Abby running around the hallways of her high school in a short skirt and he definitely did not want to be thinking about the boys running after her back then. It was not conducive to non-aggressive driving.

"David?" he suggested.

"Too boring," Abby replied. She bit her lip before making her next suggestion. "What about your dad's name?"

"No," Gibbs interrupted, keeping his voice as firm as he could without snapping at her. "Just no."

"Okay." Abby pulled out the small paperback baby name book she had picked up in Louisiana and they spent the next two hours debating names. By the time they were almost to the Pennsylvania border they had accumulated a short list of possible names and a much larger list of "absolutely not" names.

"We haven't really talked about the future much."

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to glance over at her.

He saw Abby shrug out of the corner of his eye. "Like, where are we going to live? Your house? Somewhere else around D.C.? Mexico?" She said the last word with just a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"Suppose we haven't talked about that," Gibbs agreed. "Guess I assumed we'd stay at my place, at least until the baby's born. Ya need somewhere with a good doctor."

"I do like my midwife up here." Abby emphasized the word midwife, which Gibbs was fairly certain was a pointed rebuttal to his use of 'doctor'. But that was a debate for another day.

"Then it's settled."

Abby was quiet for long enough that even Gibbs knew it wasn't settled after all.

"What?" he asked finally.

"I've been thinking," Abby said, her tone low and serious.

"Just say it," Gibbs prompted when she paused.

"I want to go back to Mexico."

"Right now?"

"Gibbs." She let out a huff. "After the baby's born. I want to raise him in Mexico."

"What, in Mike's shack?" He couldn't help letting out a chuckle at the idea.

Abby sighed. "No, not in Mike's house. But close by. I thought maybe we could build our own place on the beach like his. You were happy there, Gibbs."

Gibbs took a deep breath. "This is important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes," she told him.

The truth was, Abby was right. Gibbs did love it down there. He loved the solitude, the quiet, the simpler life he'd led. But somehow he couldn't imagine his technology loving Abby staying there forever.

There were benefits to raising a child there. Being bilingual would be an advantage later in life. There was lots of fresh air. Plenty of places outdoors to play and explore.

"We lose electricity every time a storm hits," Gibbs told her.

"I like candles."

"There isn't a decent hospital or doctor for hours," Gibbs said. "What if something happened to the baby?"

Abby sighed again. "You're right." She sounded defeated.

That wasn't the point Gibbs was trying to make. He just wanted her to be realistic. "I'd love to live there too, Abby, but we couldn't take a baby there. Not right away anyway. Not until he'd had most of his vaccinations."

"I know." Abby slumped down in her seat. "I guess it's just a pipe dream."

"We can visit," Gibbs said, trying to soften the blow she'd just received. He hated crushing her dreams, but it just wasn't a good idea at the time. "I'm pretty sure Mike would take out a contract on me if we didn't."

Abby giggled. "Visits would be nice. I want the baby to know his Grampa Mike."

Gibbs let out a laugh. "Grampa Mike?"

"Of course!" Abby informed him. "He's family."

"I suppose he is," Gibbs said, still chuckling to himself. "I suppose he is."

xxx

Gibbs insisted on stopping that afternoon in Maryland. Abby protested on principle, but he was right, she was getting tired. And another night in Gibbs arms left her happy and feeling well rested.

They got an early start the next morning, grabbing a portable breakfast on the way out of town. They were just north of DC now, and according her calculations just over three hours from Stillwater.

Abby was bored. Not just a little bit bored, but seriously bored. They were so close to their destination that she was literally bouncing with excitement, and had no way of getting her energy out.

She'd tried to read, but had forgotten to charge her Kindle at the hotel the night before and the battery died after only a half hour. She'd listened to the radio for awhile, but they were in one of those places where you could only get three stations to work and none of them played decent music. After a half hour of flipping back and forth she'd noticed Gibbs starting to develop a twitch in his eye and turned it off before he snapped.

After that she text messaged Ziva and McGee a few times, but they were at work and couldn't really talk. Or so Tony said when he text messaged her to tell her to stop distracting them.

She had already bugged her family enough the day before, so she restrained herself from text messaging or calling any of them.

"I'm bored." Abby had held it in as long as she possibly could, but the whine finally leaked out. They only had a little over an hour to go, but she was starting to feel desperate.

Gibbs glanced at her and may or may not have rolled his eyes. She would have thought it was impossible or at least highly improbable that Gibbs would ever make such a face, but she was about ninety eight percent sure she witnessed it.

"You have to talk to me." She did her best not to whine this time as she spoke. "I'm so bored I'm going to go crazy."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

She glared at him, then rolled her eyes because he appeared to be smirking. "I'm bored!" This time, she whined. No getting around it, she was whining.

"Why don't you read?" he suggested, and she wanted to punch him. Hopefully that was just her pregnancy hormones going haywire and not something that would stick.

"Kindle battery died," she finally replied, leaning back in her seat and sighing.

Gibbs reached behind him and dug around in his bag. He pulled out a thick hardcover book and handed it to her. "Here, read my book."

Abby squinted at the title. "Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs? Where did you get this?"

"I borrowed it from your brother. He said it was really good." Gibbs glanced over at her and smirked again. "McGee wrote it."

"McGee?" Abby flipped over the book to check the bio. "Are you sure? It says the guy's name is Thom E. Gemcity."

"Which rearranged spells…" Gibbs prompted.

Abby frowned at the cover for a moment. "Timothy McGee!" she exclaimed. "How did I not know about this?" She immediately started reading the inside cover.

Gibbs chuckled. "Start reading. You'll figure it out."

Abby opened to chapter one and started reading. At first it was just amusing, because every time the book referred to the loner L.J. Tibbs, who drank "to relieve the burden of his messiah complex", she giggled. But then there was the "swashbuckling, socially repugnant Special Agent Tommy" who "was a dogged pursuer of dirt bags and any skirt over the age of eighteen". And she couldn't forget Lisa, the "sultry and emotionally distant Mossad officer" whose emerald eyes "were only flawed by the icicles in her heart".

She set the book down on her lap. "He wrote this about the team."

"Not just the team." Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"No way!" Abby started flipping through the book. "Oh my god! 'Goth forensic scientist Amy Sutton'? Real subtle, Timmy." Oh man, Tony and Ziva were going to kill him when they found out about this, if they hadn't already.

"Wait, aren't you mad about this?" Abby asked Gibbs when she'd had a few more minutes to analyze the situation.

Gibbs shrugged. "Figure it'll be more fun to watch 'special agent Tommy' and 'Lisa' roast him alive than to get mad." He had a tiny and slightly evil smile on his face.

Abby giggled. "Well, that will be funny." She flipped through a few more pages. "How long has this been out?"

"Few months. Apparently it's been pretty popular."

"Huh." Abby continued skimming the parts about 'Amy'. "This is so weird. It's so close to conversations we really have that it's giving me deja vu. Is it based on an actual case we had or did he make that part up?"

Gibbs shrugged. "You'll have to read it and find out."

"Hey!" She elbowed him. "That's mean."

"Just trying to keep you entertained," he said, elbowing her right back.

Abby finally flipped back to the beginning and started reading. She was kind of mad that McGee had never told her about this, but as she kept reading she found herself getting caught up in the story, even cheering on 'Amy' as she processed the evidence for the case, hoping she'd make a discovery that would solve the murder.

She was more than halfway through the book and noticing the emotionally distant 'Lisa' was starting to really open up to Agent McGregor when Gibbs nudged her.

"What?" she murmured, still reading.

Gibbs stopped at a stop sign and waited for her to look up. He pointed to a sign a few feet further away that read "Welcome to Stillwater".

"Oh." Abby used the dust jacket to mark her spot and set the book down on the seat beside her. "We're here."

A/N #2: Hi everyone! I'm back! I'm so so so sorry that it has taken me this long to update. Packing up and leaving the place I've lived for the past 15 years sent my anxiety into hyperdrive and took away my ability to write. Then less than a week after we arrived at our new house, November began, and with it Nanowrimo. I almost didn't do it, but I forced myself to move forward and between last year and this year now have 100k of a novel I'm hoping to publish as an e-book within the next year. But November is over, and I am returning to this story, excited about getting everything done and being able to share the last half of this story with everyone.

A very special thank you to everyone who has stuck by me, and all those who sent kind words or reviews during the hiatus. The next chapter is done except for the last read through, so weekly updates will resume. Also my tumblr is now completely dedicated to my writing, so if you want to check on story statuses and maybe even read some sneak peeks of some of the other things I'm working on, look me up. I'm punkcatknitter there.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Past Returns

**A/N:** Sorry it's a little late, when the alarm on my phone went off to remind me to post, I realized I didn't have the chapter already uploaded and then the internet went down (life in a small town).

This was one of the easiest chapters I wrote, and one of my favorites. Very little changed from the original draft, I basically just had to proofread. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!

 **Chapter Twelve: Past Returns**

 **Rule #39: There's no such thing as coincidence.**

Gibbs pulled up to the small gas station in town and turned off the car. "Gonna go inside to pay," he told her. "Chances are I'll recognize someone and can ask if my father's around."

Abby nodded, reaching for the car door. "Okay. I need to stretch. And pee."

"Try not to get in any trouble until I get back." Gibbs tried to make it sound like he was kidding, but she could tell he was really nervous about seeing his father again. Or maybe not nervous, but definitely tense. "And try not to talk to anybody. Damn snoopy town, everyone wanting to know everyone's business."

"Would they know any cute stories about you as a kid?" she asked, feeling cheeky.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "Be good, and I'll see if they carry No Caf Pow."

Abby's eyes widened. It had been weeks and weeks since she'd been anywhere where she could get her favorite drink, even if she was restricted to the caffeine free version. "I'll be good," she promised.

"Doubtful," Gibbs muttered on his way out of the car, making her grin. Man had her pegged, that was for sure.

As soon as Abby was standing she suddenly realized just how badly she needed to go. She practically ran for the public restrooms on the side of the building, which thankfully were not locked. Once she was finished, she washed her hands and headed back outside.

Now that things weren't desperate, she took the time to look around. The gas station was on the outskirts of Stillwater, so this was really her first glimpse of the town. Gibbs hadn't revealed much to her, and a web search hadn't given her much more information other than census data and mention of coal mining history.

Gibbs had mentioned that main street was straight ahead, so she took a few steps closer to the main road, while stretching out her arms and legs. Driving here had seemed like a good idea when she'd suggested it, but Abby was starting to feel like she was the fetus, all cramped up in the car.

She didn't see much in the distance, although Gibbs may have used the words "nothin' to see but dust and old buildings". He didn't seem to have warm fuzzy feelings about Stillwater, but Abby had a feeling that had more to do with whatever had happened between him and his father and less to do with the actual town.

She sighed. There really wasn't anything she could see so far. As much as she hated it, she'd just have to be patient and wait for Gibbs to finish pumping the gas.

Whens she turned around to head back to the car she collided unexpectedly into an older man.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, as his arms reached out to steady her. "I didn't realize anyone was there."

"Don't you worry about me," he told her. "Saw a pretty girl I didn't recognize and thought I'd make sure she wasn't lost."

Abby giggled. What a charmer. "Nope, not lost," she told him. "Just visiting with a friend."

The man smiled, then his eyes focused on something in the distance. Abby followed his gaze to Gibbs, who was leaning against the rental car, his arms crossed. Oops. So much for a Caf Pow.

"Do you know him?" she couldn't help herself from asking.

The man nodded. "Used to."

Gibbs wasn't charging over to drag her away, despite his glares, so she figured he must be harmless. "I'm Abby," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Jackson." His handshake was firm and steady. "What's a nice girl like you doing with a man like Leroy?"

She tried not to giggle. She'd never heard anyone call Gibbs Leroy before. "I married him."

"Married?" Jackson looked a little bit stunned.

She nodded. "Uh huh. We're here so I can see where he grew up and meet his father."

"Oh."

Abby glanced back at Gibbs, who still looked a little menacing over by the car. "I'd better get back." She gave Jackson a big smile. "It was nice meeting you, Jackson."

"Nice to meet you too, Abby."

Abby walked slowly back over to the car and stood directly in front of Gibbs, close enough to feel the warmth from his body. "Are you mad?" she asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "Nah."

"I wasn't trying to snoop, I just bumped into him," she tried to explain. Gibbs wasn't saying he was mad, but she could sense the conflicting emotions swirling around inside him.

"I saw." Gibbs finally uncross his arms and gave her a hug. "Just wasn't expecting that."

Abby leaned in, nuzzling his chest with her face. "Do you know him?" she asked.

Gibbs chuckled. "Didn't he tell you who he was?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "He said his name was Jackson."

"It is. Jackson Gibbs."

Abby pulled away, her eyes wide and her jaw dropping southward. "Jackson Gibbs?"

Gibbs nodded.

"He's your father?" she asked, putting the pieces together in her head. Jackson had seemed a little familiar looking, but she had not imagined the first person she'd bump into in Stillwater would be Gibbs' father!

Gibbs reached behind him and pulled out a large No Caf Pow. "Here, you look like you could use this."

She sucked half the drink down in one fell swoop. She'd just met Gibbs' father. Oh no! She told him they were married! No wonder Jackson looked so uncomfortable when she told him. She felt insanely stupid.

Until she realized it was all Gibbs' fault.

"Why didn't you tell me your father's name?" she demanded, poking him in the chest with her finger.

Gibbs glanced down at said finger as if it were nothing more than a small buzzing insect. "You didn't ask."

Abby took another sip of her Caf Pow, quick, before she said something she would regret later. "I didn't ask because you were so closed off about the subject and I didn't want you to shut down. I didn't realize I was going to make a fool of myself in front of your father the first time I met him because you never told me anything about him!"

"Abby," Gibbs tried. "It's fine. Really."

"Not it isn't!" she exclaimed. "I'm such an idiot. I told him we were married!"

"We are married," Gibbs reminded her.

She glared at him. "Not. Helping."

"C'mon." He kissed her on the forehead. "How about I take you to the motel so you can rest and I'll go talk to him."

Abby let him lead her back to the car and tuck her into the passenger seat. She still felt like an idiot. Damn these pregnancy hormones! She never used to be this insecure about anything and now she just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

xxx

Gibbs got Abby settled in the small motel room and waited until she had dozed off before he went to find Jack. She'd been fairly upset about her encounter with him, or maybe just upset that she was upset about it.

He smiled to himself as he drove towards Main Street. Hormonal Abby was crazy, but she sure was fun.

It was a strange kind of coincidence that Abby had literally bumped into his father at the gas station. It was a small town, but the chances of her meeting his father five minutes after getting out of the car were still astronomical.

So, now Jackson knew he was married. Gibbs wondered how much he knew about his other wives. They'd stopped talking before he'd married Diane, and he didn't exactly keep in contact with anyone else in Stillwater. Shannon had been the best thing to come out of that town, and without her he just hadn't cared anymore about much of anything to do with it.

He pulled the rental car up to the General Store his father had founded with Gibbs' namesake, Leroy Jethro Moore, his father's best friend. Things didn't change much in Stillwater, but seeing the store was still like traveling back in time. Gibbs remembered working there after school, tagging cans and stocking shelves. Fighting with Jack if there wasn't enough to keep them occupied.

He turned the engine off and simply stared. There were a hell of a lot of memories tied up in this place, and he wasn't used to wallowing in times gone by. He still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but it meant a lot to Abby, and these days he couldn't seem to say no to her.

Not that he'd ever said no to her much before.

Gibbs could feel the eyes of half the town on the rented car with out of town plates. By now, someone had probably already called Jack up and asked him if he knew who was in the car. It was time to stop stalling and just go inside and face the man.

He got out of the car and opened the door to the store, hearing the familiar sound of the bell. Jackson was sitting behind the counter, hands folded. He had obviously been waiting for Gibbs, probably watching him through the big windows.

"Leroy," Jack said simply as he approached.

"Jack." Gibbs stopped in front of the counter.

"You don't call, you don't write." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Apparently you have plenty of time to acquire new wives."

Gibbs winced inwardly. Okay, so Jack did know about his ex wives. "I'm here," he offered. That was really all he could give the man.

"That you are." Jack took a deep breath. "Didn't realize you liked 'em that young."

"Just Abby," Gibbs said simply.

"The age difference doesn't bother her?" Jack asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope."

"Good for her," Jack said, surprising him.

The two men stared at each other for several minutes, neither feeling the need to break the silence. Jack looked pretty much the same as Gibbs remembered, a few more lines on his face, his hair a little grayer, but still spry and stubborn as ever.

It was easier when his mother was alive. She'd been the one to keep the peace between the two of them. Ann Gibbs had been a quiet but strong woman who didn't put up with any crap from either of the men in her life.

She would have hated this. So would have Shannon. Those were the thoughts that kept Gibbs from saying the hell with it and leaving, going back to the hotel and curling up in the bed with Abby.

Abby, he was doing this for Abby, he reminded himself. With everything that she was giving him, he could do this small thing for her. Just a day or two, for Abby, and they could go back to ignoring each other the rest of the year.

"Where's your new wife?" Jack asked him.

"At the motel." Gibbs pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Motel?" Jack looked surprised. "What the hell is she doing at a motel?"

"Right now she's probably napping."

"Napping?" Jack parroted again.

"Yeah." Gibbs heaved a sigh. "She gets tuckered out real easy these days."

Jack frowned. "Is she sick?"

Gibbs shook his head, amused. Apparently Jack wasn't as observant as he used to be. "Nah, just pregnant."

Jack didn't parrot _that_ back at him. He looked genuinely stunned. Gibbs was pretty sure this was the first time he had ever seen his father speechless.

Jack swallowed. "It's yours?"

"In every way that counts." The look in Gibbs' eyes dared him to ask.

"That girl shouldn't be at a motel," Jack said after several minutes, digging around in a drawer behind the counter. "She's family." He set a silver key on the counter between them.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"Take her to the house," Jack ordered him. "It's not as clean as it was when your mom was alive, but it's better than that flea bag motel and there's plenty of room."

"Ya sure?" Gibbs asked.

"Just take the damn key," Jack snapped. "Get her settled in and I'll be back after I close the store at five."

Gibbs slipped the key into his pocket. "All right."

xxx

Abby was awake when Gibbs got back to the motel, sitting cross legged on the bed and watching some frightening reality show about crazy brides. She would have been sorry she hadn't had a chance to scare Gibbs a little before they got married, except she was pretty sure with the number of weddings he'd had Gibbs had probably encountered a Bridezilla already.

"I'm hungry," she told him, muting the TV. "You took the car and all I had were tic tacs." She held up the empty container to demonstrate her desperation.

"There's still a bag of chips in the backseat," Gibbs told her, tossing the keys to her. "I'm gonna go check us out."

Abby caught them in one hand. "Check us out? Why?"

"Jack wants us to stay with him."

"Whoa, wait!" Abby vaulted off the bed and grabbed Gibbs arm before he could leave the room. "Wait a minute, I think I missed something. He wants us to stay with him? Why?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I think he likes you."

"Okay." Abby stared at him for a minute. "Are you okay with that?"

"Doesn't make much of a difference to me."

Abby narrowed her eyes, but she let him leave. Liar. It made a difference to him, he just didn't want to talk about it. He was probably mentally sanding a boat at this exact minute.

Her stomach growled, so Abby ran outside and grabbed the chips out of the car. Plopping back down on the bed when she got back, she returned to her previous position and began munching.

Gibbs knocked on the door a minute later, and when she opened it he nodded towards the car. "You ready?"

She nodded. Grabbing her purse off the bed and taking a quick glance around the room to make sure they hadn't brought anything else in, she followed Gibbs back to the rental car and climbed into the passenger seat, still munching on the chips.

"If there isn't anything to eat I'll go out and grab ya some grub," Gibbs told her as he drove, weaving effortlessly through the short streets until he pulled up in front of a medium sized Victorian house with a wrap around porch.

"This is where you grew up?" Abby verified with a nod of her head."

"Uh huh."

It was beautiful. Abby had always leaned towards Tony's "raised by wolves" theory of Gibbs childhood, but in fact he'd been raised in Mayberry.

She climbed out of the car, making a half hearted attempt to get Gibbs to let her carry some of the suitcases. He hadn't let her carry anything at all since he learned she was pregnant, so she didn't fight too hard, but she had to at least try. It was the principle of the matter.

She couldn't help but smile as Gibbs unlocked the door and stepped inside. The house looked remarkably similar to Gibbs', the major differences being leftover feminine touches Abby assumed were left over from Gibbs' mother.

She paused in the hallway to examine a portrait of Gibbs in his Marine uniform, probably from when he first joined up. It was strange to see him there, looking so young and innocent. It almost didn't fit with the growly and gruff man she'd fallen in love with.

Gibbs had already charged up the stairs with their luggage, but Abby lingered downstairs. There were framed pictures everywhere, kind of like there were books everywhere in Gibbs' house.

She picked up a framed photo off an end table and stared. It was of a young Gibbs' and Shannon, obviously a wedding photo. Shannon was looking up at Gibbs as if he held all the answers to all the world's questions and he was looking at her with a look in his eyes she recognized.

She dug the replacement phone Luka had gotten her out of her pocket and scrolled through the pictures until she found the one she was looking for. She'd been letting Sami play with her phone at her parents house after the wedding and Sami had snapped a photo of Gibbs and Abby together. Abby was laughing at something someone had said and Gibbs was just looking down at her.

It was the same look.

Abby's eyes darted from wedding photograph to wedding photograph, hardly able to believe her eyes. Why would Gibbs be looking at her the same way he looked at Shannon? Shannon had been his first love, his true love. They didn't have anything in common.

Confused, she nearly dropped the frame when she heard Gibbs starting down the stairs. She quickly shoved her phone back in her pocket and put his and Shannon's wedding photo back where she'd found it.

"Ya okay?" Gibbs asked, coming over to stand in front of her.

She nodded, not trusting her voice at that exact moment.

xxx

Gibbs leaned back at the table, watching Abby thoroughly charm his father over the meal Jack had insisted on cooking for them. He wasn't sure why he was surprised, Jack was not the first person he had watched Abby turn the charm onto, but somehow he still found it unexpected.

Abby seemed to be completely comfortable around his father. Since Jackson insisted on fixing dinner for them, she had placed herself at the kitchen counter and chatted happily with the older man as he cooked.

Gibbs had hung around long enough to be sure that Jack was on his best behavior, then wandered off to check for any house repairs that might need to be done. He puttered until dinner was ready.

Jack's anger seemed to reside only with him. With Abby, well Gibbs was fairly sure his father was falling a little in love with her, not that he could blame him. Abby kept things upbeat, telling Jack all about how beautiful Mexico had been and then the trip to visit her family, which had culminated in their wedding.

As Gibbs ate, he listened to their conversation with interest, although he tried to keep it off his face. He wasn't ready to explain some things to his father, and he was curious just how much Abby was going to reveal that evening.

Abby had been careful to avoid any mention of Mikel, or the beginning of her pregnancy. Because of the way Gibbs had phrased things in their conversation earlier, he knew Jack must have been more than curious, but the man remained silent on the subject, seemingly happy just to take in what Abby chose to share with him.

"He always was a stubborn kid."

Gibbs looked up in surprise, his thoughts having drifted off at some point and missed the beginning of what appeared to be a conversation about him.

Abby had her head in her hand, leaning on the table, smiling widely and warmly at Jack. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"No, he doesn't seem to have changed at all," was Jack's response. Gibbs was fairly sure this was supposed to be a thinly veiled insult, but he chose not to respond.

"Was he much of a loner as a teenager?" Abby asked.

Gibbs groaned inwardly.

"Spent most his days out back in the shed, tinkering with some old car," Jack told her. "Most nights it was all his mother could do to drag him back inside."

Abby giggled. "Now he builds boats in his basement."

"You don't mind him leaving you alone all the time?"

"He doesn't leave me alone all the time," Abby said simply. "And no, I don't mind. It's who he is. He doesn't try to change me and I'd never try to change him."

Jack glanced at Gibbs for one of the first times during the meal. "I suppose it's good he found someone who understands him then. I certainly never did."

"He can be a tough nut to crack." Abby smiled warmly at Jack. "But he's worth it."

"You're good for him," Jack said after a brief silence. "You got him to come back here, none of the others managed to do that."

Abby glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged. "I'm very persuasive," she said finally, winking at Jack.

"I just bet you are," Jack said, winking right back and making her laugh heartily.

"When are you due?" Jack asked conversationally, as they cleared the table.

"January twenty ninth," Abby told him. "Did I show you the ultrasound picture?"

Jack smiled. "Not yet."

Gibbs watched in amusement as Abby skittered off to find the picture, then realized Jack was staring at him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't you hurt that girl." Jack waved a finger at him sternly, then turned his face into a smile timed just perfectly as Abby came back in the room.

"Here it is," she said, handing Jack the picture.

"Beautiful baby," Jack told her.

"Handsome," Abby corrected him with a grin. "It's a boy."

Jack seemed to examine the picture even closer. "A boy," he murmured.

"Your grandson," Abby corrected.

Jack looked a little startled as if he'd just realized what the baby would be to him, and glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged. His eyes looked just a little glassy when he returned them to the picture. "My grandson," he whispered.

Suddenly, the years seemed to melt away and Gibbs was seeing Jackson's happiness when he first told him Shannon was pregnant. Memories flashed by of Jackson holding a baby in his arms, chasing a pigtailed toddler around the room, looking solemn at a funeral.

Gibbs turned away, not wanting those memories to haunt a single moment he spent with Abby. "I've gotta make some calls," he told them, and got out of the room as fast as he could.

xxx

Abby was uncharacteristically quiet that night when they got ready for bed. She came back from the bathroom dressed in a pair of stretchy pink shorts with black sheep on them and a black maternity tank.

Her stomach was getting bigger. Gibbs itched to touch it, to see if he could feel the baby moving again, but despite the changes in their relationship wasn't always sure if it would be welcome. He'd seen his usually very touchy feel-y Abby nearly take off a waitresses head for trying to touch her stomach just two days before.

Gibbs watched her climb into bed and curl into a ball, facing away from him. He sat down on the bed and gently touched her shoulder. "Abbs? You okay?"

She turned partially onto her back to look at him. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Mad at you?" Gibbs searched his memories but honestly had no idea where this was coming from.

She nodded. "For telling all that stuff to Jackson? I should have asked if there was stuff you didn't want me to tell him."

Gibbs sighed. "I don't care what you tell him," he told Abby. "Most of it he already knows or would figure out eventually."

"Yeah, but you didn't tell him any stuff."

"That's cause we don't get along all that well. I don't care if he knows things, I just don't wanna be the one who has to tell him."

Abby searched his face. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Is that why you've been so quiet?"

"Part of it." Abby curled back on her side and stared at the wall.

Gibbs waited patiently. "You gonna tell me? Or am I gonna have to drag it out of ya?"

When she didn't answer, he settled himself against the headboard of the bed and started combing his fingers through her hair. He didn't say anything, just sat there and stroked her hair. He wasn't sure how to act anymore with all the mood changes Abby had been going through. One minute she'd be happy and bouncing off the wall like she usually was, and the next she was on the bed, curled in the fetal position, staring at a wall.

It was confusing and frustrating, although he imagined it was more so for her.

After about fifteen minutes or so, Abby took a deep breath. "I don't know what I'm supposed to tell people," she blurted out. "Especially when we get back home."

"You mean about us getting married?"

Abby nodded. "People who don't know us will just assume that we're in love and this is your baby, but what about when we tell the team? Tim at least knows you're not the real father."

Gibbs grabbed her shoulder as gently as he could and pulled her over onto her back, resting partially against his body. He leaned over her until his lips were close to her ear. "I am that baby's father in every way that will matter," he said gruffly, holding back the anger that spiked in him at what she'd just said. "I might not have put him there, but I'm the one who's going to keep him there, and I'm going to be the one who's there when he comes out."

Abby reached her hand up and cupped Gibbs' cheek. "I know," she promised honestly. "I know. I just don't know what to say when people ask."

"Tell them to talk to me."

"That's mean." She couldn't help a small smile. "I'm serious, Jethro. I didn't want to tell Jackson, because I didn't want him to worry, but Tim already knows about Mikel, maybe even Ziva and Tony. It feels weird to tell them we just married for the baby."

"Did we?" slipped out of Gibbs mouth before he could stop it.

Abby pushed herself up into a sitting position, no easy feat since she was twisted up in the sheet and just pregnant enough to be off balance a bit. She stared at Gibbs. His eyes seemed to be searching hers for something, and she wasn't sure just what exactly they were looking for. "I thought so," she said slowly.

"Maybe it started out like that," Gibbs admitted, never breaking eye contact, "but I was under the impression that things had become more than that."

Abby bit her lip. "I don't want to push you."

"Push," Gibbs told her. "Tell me what's really going on in that head of yours because that's the only way I'll be sure."

"I want this to be real," she admitted.

Gibbs nodded. "I told you, this would be as real as you wanted it to be."

Abby raised her chin. "I want it to be really real. I want us to really be together, not just act like we are."

She watched Gibbs face, trying to figure out what he was thinking, which was impossible. Finally, she just waited to see what his reaction would be.

"There's only one way we can make it more real," he said huskily, "and I am not doing that for the first time in my father's home."

Abby blushed. That wasn't exactly what she was talking about, but heck, she wasn't going to complain if he offered. He was her husband, she loved him, and she was more than just a little attracted to him.

Gibbs leaned closer, causing her breath to hitch. His eyes dropped to her lips and she felt a flip flop in her stomach that had nothing at all to do with the baby.

When his lips were so close that she could feel his breath on her face, Gibbs slid a hand around her waist to tug her body closer. He pressed his lips to hers, firm but gentle.

This wasn't a kiss to seduce her, it wasn't designed to inflame passion (although that was a definite side effect). This was a kiss to prove something, to show her something. Gibbs was pouring all the emotion he didn't like to show or say into that kiss and it was making her melt into a puddle of Abby goo.

When he finally pulled away to let them both catch their breath, he leaned his forehead against hers. "It's real for me," he told her honestly.

Abby pushed back his hair and nuzzled his nose a little. "Okay," she said softly, giving him another soft kiss on the lips. "That'll do for now."


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Heartland

**Chapter Thirteen: Heartland**

 **Rule #16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand… break it!**

Abby woke with her stomach growling and her bladder crying for mercy. Gibbs was curled up against her, breathing softly on the back of her neck and holding her firmly against him with one arm.

She wanted nothing more than to snuggle closer and go back to sleep, but these days lingering in bed just wasn't an option.

Squirming out of Gibbs' embrace, she quickly used the bathroom and wandered back into the room, considering whether or not to climb back into bed and try and sleep a little more.

Gibbs was in almost the same position he'd been in when she left, except he'd snagged her pillow and was now cuddling it as a sort of substitute for her.

She smiled. She knew from spending a few night's at his house over the years that Gibbs didn't always sleep well, which meant he woke up at almost any noise. But when he did manage to sleep well, it was deep and with a strange expression of peacefulness.

Her stomach made a loud gurgle, and the baby gave her a firm kick, which Abby took as a sign that she'd better get some breakfast.

She crept quietly down the stairs, not sure if Jackson was up or already at the store. The clock in the living room said read seven thirty, so she figured it could go either way.

"You're up early," Jackson remarked from behind his paper as Abby walked into the kitchen.

Abby tugged on the bottom of the shorts she was wearing, suddenly wondering if they were a little too short to wear in front of him. "Well, I had to pee and by the time I was done I was too hungry to go back to sleep."

"Help yourself." Jackson gestured towards the rest of the kitchen. "I'd offer to fix ya something, but you seem too independent for that."

"You already know me well." Abby grinned. He didn't have to tell her twice. Abby already had the fridge open and peered inside.

"Besides," Jackson continued. "I'm sure Leroy's told you that my cooking repertoire doesn't extend much further than what I fixed ya last night."

"Actually," she told him slowly, "Gibbs, I mean Jethro, hasn't told me much of anything about you."

"Hmmph." Jackson noisily turned the page.

Abby pulled out a carton of eggs and a loaf of bread. "He doesn't really talk about the past much at all, so don't feel offended." She began checking cabinets for a bowl to scramble the eggs in.

"Never was much of a talker. Except to Shannon."

Abby paused, trying not to look too interested. "Was he?" she asked casually, without turning around.

"Mmmhmm. She had a way with him. Got him talking the way his mother used to, before she died."

Abby quietly cracked eggs into a bowl. Gibbs had been more open with her the past month or so, but she couldn't really say that he talked a lot. She wasn't sure if she should hope that he talked more, or accept that he couldn't be that person anymore.

"Yer thinking so hard I can practically smell smoke."

Abby turned around to find Jackson had put his paper down and was watching her across the kitchen table. "I was wondering if you had to leave soon to open the store," she lied, not ready to confess her insecurities.

He narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing her. "Don't open until ten on Saturdays. Isn't worth being the boss if I can't sleep in on the weekend if I want."

She smiled, his gruffness reminding her so much of Gibbs. "It sounds nice." She turned back to her breakfast.

"You don't have to pretend with me."

Abby paused, not turning around. Apparently she wasn't being as subtle as she had hoped.

"You can ask," Jackson told her. "One thing I know for sure about my son is that he isn't much keen on talking about the past."

"It feels like prying," Abby said softly, pouring the scrambled egg mixture into a pan and poking at it with the edge of a spatula. "I can tell it hurts him to talk about her."

She turned around and rested her hips against the counter. "No one on the team even knew about her until a few months ago."

Jackson raised his eyebrows. "The team?"

Abby nodded. "The team he worked with at NCIS."

"Don't know why I'm surprised. I could tell at the funeral that he'd completely closed himself off. That was the last time I saw Leroy."

Based on the things that had been said, Abby had suspected as much. She had so many things she wanted answers to, but one thing wouldn't stop coming forward in her thoughts.

"What was Kelly like?"

Jackson's jaw tensed and Abby saw the slightest moisture in the corner of his eyes. She immediately regretted asking.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk." She turned back to her eggs, which needed to be tended to. "I just keep wondering. I want our baby to know about his sister."

"She loved horses," Jackson's voice rasped just when Abby had decided he wasn't going to say anything. "Riding em, reading about em, drawing them. I have some of her pictures somewhere. Never could bear to get rid of anything after."

Abby slid her breakfast onto a plate and sat down at the table next to him. Placing her hand over her father in law's she gave him a soft smile. "Thank you," she said simply.

"There's photo albums in the living room." Jackson met her gaze. "I'll take him to the store with me and you can look at them privately."

Abby stood up out of her chair and threw her arms around him, squeezing firmly. "Thank you," she murmured into the elder man's ear.

"Get yer hands off my wife," Gibbs growled from the doorway.

Abby stood up straight. "Jethro!" she protested.

One corner of his mouth lifted just enough to show he was joking.

"You don't treat her right, Leroy, I'll make a pass at her myself," Jackson said cheekily.

Abby put her hands on her hips and looked back and forth at the similar men. "You two!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "I shouldn't be surprised you're both just alike."

She nearly laughed at the twin mortified looks on the Gibbs men's faces. They really were two peas in a pod.

Gibbs fixed a cup of coffee for himself and Abby watched the two men as she ate her breakfast. They each sipped at their coffees and silently handed each other parts of the paper to read as they finished them. It was a strangely choreographed dance that surprised her. Despite their problems, it was obvious that the two had been close once.

Abby found herself hoping that this visit would heal some of the wounds the Gibbs men had inflicted on each other. That they would be able to let go of the past and look to the future. Family was so important. It broke her heart thinking that Gibbs wasn't close to his only living relative.

"Why don't you go to the store with Jackson today," Abby suggested as they got dressed a little while later. "It'll give the two of you time to talk." She wasn't being terribly subtle, not that Gibbs wouldn't see through anything she tried.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Gibbs stated dryly.

Abby rolled her eyes. "I suppose it'll be a success as long as there's no bloodshed."

"What are you going to do all day while I'm with Jack?"

She shrugged. "Thought I'd hang around here for awhile, then maybe go for a walk and explore." Look at photo albums of your dead wife and daughter, she added silently.

"You're not gonna rest until you've heard every embarrassing story this town has to tell, are you?"

"No sir." Abby grinned at him, thoroughly amused by the resigned look in his eyes. "Resistance is futile."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll show ya around when I get back from the store."

"No need to hurry," Abby teased as she headed to the bathroom with her toiletries in hand. "I think I'm going to have fun here."

"That's what I'm afraid of!" Gibbs called after her.

She giggled.

xxx

When the two men were gone, Abby didn't hesitate even a second. She hurried into the living room, went straight towards the bookcase and sat on the carpet cross legged.

The bottom shelf was filled with oversized books that could only be photo albums and scrapbooks. Abby selected one book at random and laid it across her lap.

The first page didn't disappoint. Abby found herself looking at an exact replica of Gibbs in a photograph old enough that it could only be Jackson. She marveled at how much Gibbs resembled his father at a younger age.

The dark haired woman standing beside him had a soft smile and kind eyes. Abby wished she'd known Ann Gibbs. Gibbs' entire face softened when he spoke of her. She'd obviously been a good woman, strong enough to marry a stubborn man like Jackson.

Like Gibbs.

Abby paged through the album, unable to stop smiling as she watched Gibbs grow up before her. He'd been an adorable child, giving Abby flashes of the little boy she was going to have in the near future, likely running around and getting in all kinds of trouble.

She pulled out another album, biting her lip when she saw the words "Leroy and Shannon Wedding" printed in large letters across the cover. She set the book aside after a moment, not sure she wanted to look inside.

She'd seen picture of Gibbs' other weddings, courtesy of Ducky. But those had been different. His relationships with those women had ended messily, and at the time she'd only been looking out of a morbid curiosity.

Now her motivations were completely different.

The next album she pulled out had a picture of a pink infant on the cover with a wrinkled little face and tiny fists by her cheeks. It looked like Abby had found exactly what she'd been hoping to find.

Tears welled up in her eyes as Abby looked at the first page. An impossibly young looking Gibbs held a tiny infant in his arms with look of pride and awe. As she turned the pages she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Kelly had been so beautiful. Thinking about the baby she was carrying, it broke her heart thinking that this precious little girl's life would be cut short so young.

"Hi Kelly," Abby said softly, her thumb stroking the side of one photo of the child's beaming face. "I'm Abby and I wish you were here to meet your brother." Abby didn't care that she and Gibbs probably would never have met if Kelly had lived, that she wouldn't be married to him now. All that mattered was that Kelly was going to have a brother she'd never get to meet.

Abby resolved in that second that her son would grow up knowing about his sister who had been gone for so long. She wanted him to see pictures and hear stories and know how his daddy once had another child he had loved very much.

Kelly deserved that much.

Then of course there was Shannon. She'd been the love of Gibbs' life, of that there was no doubt in Abby's mind. Loving and losing Shannon had made Gibbs the man he was today, the man Abby loved with all her heart.

I'll tell him about you too, Abby thought to herself, turning the page to see a family photo of Gibbs, Shannon, and Kelly. If it hadn't been for them, Gibbs wouldn't be Gibbs, and then where would she be?

Abby turned the page in the album to discover it was blank. She turned another to find a newspaper clipping, yellowed with age. Shannon and Kelly's smiling faces looked up from the center of the article.

Abby slammed the book shut, unable to keep going. She brushed away her tears and went searching for her cell phone. She'd used Jackson's computer last night to look up several phone numbers she'd lost with her last phone and now she needed to use one of them.

"Hello?" The voice that answered was low and wary. Abby could just picture her friend squinting at the unfamiliar number and making a face.

"Hey Carol."

Abby had met Carol Wilson in college and the two had been fast friends ever since. She'd been delighted to find a kindred spirit in the spunky woman and they had never gone this long between phone calls.

"Abby!" Carol squealed, and a series of thuds hinted that she'd dropped the phone in her excitement. "Abby, where the hell are you?"

Abby settled into a worn recliner in the corner of Jackson's living room. "Stillwater, Pennsylvania."

"What the hell are you doing in Stillwater, Pennsylvania?" Carol demanded to know.

"Meeting my father-in-law." Abby had an evil smile on her face as she listened to her friend shriek over the phone. She waited for Carol to stop freaking out, or at least stop shouting. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too but don't you change the subject. Who in the world did you marry? Please tell me it wasn't that creep who knocked you up."

Unable to stop herself from frowning, Abby shook her head even though she knew Carol couldn't see her. "Of course not."

"Then who?"

"Um, Gibbs?" Abby said hesitantly, not sure how Carol was going to react. Other than her accidentally telling Jackson, this was her first time telling someone she had married Gibbs.

"Your smoking hot boss?" Carol's voice was filled with awe.

Abby giggled. "The one and only silver haired fox."

"Oh you're good." Carol chuckled. "You are very, very good."

Carol had been one of the people she'd emailed to tell of her pregnancy when she was in Mexico and Abby knew Carol must have been bursting at the seams wanting to ask. She took a deep breath when Carol paused, finally stating simply, "Go ahead and ask. I know you want to."

"How are you?" Carol asked, her voice softened.

"Pregnant," Abby quipped.

"The truth, Abby."

"I don't know." Abby leaned her head back against the worn fabric of the chair. "Everything has just been happening so fast."

Carol listened intently as Abby caught her friend up on the past month of activity, her father's heart attack, her hasty marriage, and finally the trip to Stillwater to meet Jackson.

"I just hope the two of them don't kill each other," Abby finished. "It seemed like a good idea when I suggested it."

She could hear Carol holding back laughter. "Oh Abby. I don't know anyone else who could get herself in as complicated a situation as you."

"I haven't even told you why I called," Abby told her.

"There's more?" Carol sounded horrified.

"Yeah, but it happened a long time ago."

"What did?"

"Gibbs had a wife and daughter that died."

"What?" Carol breathed into the phone.

"Before the exes." Abby took a deep breath. "They were murdered."

"Oh my god." There was a long pause. "That poor man."

"His daughter's name was Kelly," Abby continued. "She was only eight. Jackson has all these photo albums of her. She was so beautiful, Carol."

"I'm sure she was."

"I guess I just needed someone to talk to," Abby said finally. "I've been looking at all these pictures and suddenly it all just seemed like too much, you know? Like I suddenly realized just how much Gibbs has been through and I started doubting myself and wondering if he'd made a big mistake shackling himself to me."

"You shouldn't ever doubt yourself," Carol told her. "You've always known the right things to say. Remember when I got drunk at that frat party and went skinny dipping in the next door neighbor's pool?"

Abby sniffled. "Yeah." It was kind of funny now, but at the time Carol had been completely humiliated when she found out what she did.

"You knew exactly what to say to make me feel better. Trust your instincts. Gibbs did not make a mistake and you know it, Abby. This is just the whole Mikel situation screwing with your head."

"I know." Abby sighed. "I just don't think it hit me until now just what it really meant that Gibbs had been a father before. Until I saw all these pictures it was abstract and now it's real. I can't even imagine how he made it through."

"Neither can I. But you're good for him. Tim said that the only time he sees Gibbs smile is when you're around."

Abby sat up straight, her eyebrows furrowed. "McGee? Since when do you talk to McGee?"

"Um." Carol was conspicuously silent.

"Carol!"

"Okay okay!" Carol relented. "He called me last week asking questions about Mikel. You didn't know Gibbs had McGee checking him out?"

"I sort of did." Abby sighed. "I guess I hadn't realized just how deep he was digging. I guess you told him about the break-ins, huh?"

"I told him what he needed to know. Then we just talked a little. He's been so worried about you the past few months. So had I. You really pulled away from everyone."

"I know." Abby ran her thumb softly across her stomach as she closed her eyes. "I just needed to figure some things out and I knew you guys would see right through me and know something was wrong. I'm a lousy liar."

They talked a little longer, making plans to go out to lunch and shopping as soon as Abby was back in Virginia. When Abby finally hung up the phone, she turned back to the album she'd left open when she called.

Shannon and Kelly's brightly smiling faces stared up at her from the page. Abby stared down at them. "I promise I'll take care of him for you," she whispered, feeling a strong kinship with the two other females who too had loved Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

xxx

"Here you go, Marie," Jackson said, handing a paper bag to the young woman in front of him. "You have a great rest of the day."

Gibbs held up a can. "Jack?"

"Dollar twenty-five."

Gibbs set the price on the tagging gun and started tagging the cans. It was strange how easy it was to fall back into the routine of working the store with his father. Silently working together until a customer came in just like they always had.

As if on cue, the bell hanging above the door dinged. Gibbs began placing the cans he'd just priced on their shelf when he heard a voice.

"Leroy?"

Gibbs winced.

"Little Leroy? Is that you?"

He turned around to find an older woman standing in front of him that he remembered all too well. "It is, Mrs. Paulsen."

Lillian Paulsen was just the way Gibbs remembered her, almost as if she'd frozen in time when he'd left. A closer examination showed that she was a little thinner, a little frailer. Her permed dark brown hair was a little less brown and a little more silver, but her brown eyes were still squinting at him from behind her horn rimmed glasses.

"I haven't seen you since you up and joined the Navy," Lillian said, waving one arthritic finger at him before whirling around to look accusingly at Jackson. "Jackson, you didn't tell me Little Leroy was coming for a visit!"

Gibbs swore he saw Jackson smirk. "It was as much a surprise to me as it is to you," Jackson told her.

She turned back towards Gibbs and seemed to be examining him from stem to stern. "How have you been doing dear? I was so sorry to hear about Shannon and your little girl. Shannon was in my Kindergarten class you know."

"Yeah, I know," Gibbs said softly, lifting the side of his mouth in a slight smile. Lillian wasn't a bad person, she just loved people and talking about people. If there was ever news about someone in Stillwater, the first person to find out was always Lillian Paulsen. The problem was, she seemed to find out all the news by talking the ears off of anyone who would listen or who happened to get caught in her net of chit chat.

"He's gone and got himself married again," Jackson called from behind the counter. When Gibbs jerked his head towards him the bastard actually had the nerve to wink.

Lillian clasped her hands together in obvious glee. "You did?" she asked, looking from Gibbs to Jackson and then back again. "Oh I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you ma'am," Gibbs responded, feeling like he had in Mrs. Paulsen's eighth grade math class and didn't want to be called on.

"What's her name?" Lillian asked, turning away from Gibbs, probably knowing she'd get more out of his father. "Tell me all about her."

"Abby is as pretty as a speckled pup and about to make me a grandfather again," Jackson told her, puffed up with pride.

Gibbs took a short step backwards. When neither party noticed, he repeated the action several times until he was behind a tall set of shelves near the back of the store. He busied himself straightening the already neat shelves until he heard the bell again and the chatter from the front stop.

"Coward." Jackson leaned against the wall near where Gibbs was working. "You left me all alone with that gossipy woman."

"You tried to sic her on me," Gibbs retorted.

"And apparently it didn't work, since you're back here and I just got finished being interrogated by a retired kindergarten teacher." Jackson chuckled. "Just like that time you got detention and conveniently forgot to tell me about it. You remember how she stormed in here and lectured me for an hour? All while you were hiding behind boxes in the storeroom."

"I remember." Gibbs stopped straightening the shelves and looked at his father.

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "You gonna finish tagging those cans up front or do I have to do it myself?"

Gibbs silently stopped what he was doing and moved to squeeze past his father.

"I miss them too, you know," Jack said quietly from beside him. "I adored that little girl of yours."

"I know." Gibbs paused, then continued on his way.

"I never knew what it was I did at the funeral that was so terrible." Jackson wasn't far behind when Gibbs reached the table where he'd been working earlier.

"You mean, other than showing up with a date?" Gibbs threw the pricing gun down on the table. "You really want to go there, Jack?" The jolt of anger that went through him surprised him with the intensity of it.

Jackson didn't back down. "I know you wanted to believe that your mother and I had some storybook relationship, but things were strained between us long before she got sick. I'm sorry I didn't grieve the way you wanted me to, but I won't apologize for moving on and trying to find some happiness in my life."

Gibbs gritted his teeth. This was why he'd stayed away so many years. Jackson just didn't know when to stop bringing up the past.

"I could see the look on your face back then. How you wanted vengeance. It went away after you met Shannon." Jackson sighed, shaking his head. "But it came right back after they died. I'd always hoped you'd find your peace again. Hell, after last night I was starting to think that you might have in that new wife of yours-"

"Don't!" Gibbs shouted, bringing his hands down on the table hard. "Don't you say one word about Abby."

Jackson looked confused. "I didn't mean anything by-"

Gibbs straightened. "I'm done with this," he said, walking to the door, shoving it open and getting the hell out of his father's store.

 **A/N:** Thank you to the reviewers who pointed out the errors in the last chapter. I've changed Navy to Marine (this is what happens when I rush through my edits) and Sweetwater to Stillwater. I read a book once called Sweetwater and apparently it stuck in my head, lol. I did a search and replace in the entire file so hopefully that's the last time I'll make that blunder.

Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! Hopefully I'll get lots more.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Memories and Promises

**A/N:** Last chapter in Stillwater (I almost typed Sweetwater! Seriously brain?!). I'm not sure about the last scene, it wasn't finished and I left it until the last minute. If it's awful I'll try and fix it at some point.

 **Chapter Fourteen: Memories and Promises**

 **Rule #45: Never leave** behind **loose ends.**

Abby was sitting in a rocker on the front porch, drinking lemonade and reading McGee's book when Gibbs walked up to the house.

"Hey!" she said, stopping the gentle back and forth rock she'd been enjoying. "You're back early." It had only been a couple hours since Gibbs had gone with Jackson to the store.

Gibbs paused at the bottom of the steps, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He tilted his head and stared at her with a look on his face that she couldn't quite read.

Abby waited a few seconds, then started to squirm. "What?" she asked, glancing down to make sure she hadn't spilled something on her shirt earlier.

"The porch, the rocking chair." Gibbs paused. "It suits you."

Abby felt her cheeks getting hot. "In what way?" she asked.

He didn't move. "Just does."

"You going to join me or just stare?" Abby set her book and glass of lemonade on the porch beside her.

"Nah." Gibbs pulled his hands out of his pockets. "Thought I'd show my new wife around town. If she wants."

If she wants? Abby squealed and jumped out of the chair, something that would have been a lot faster and more graceful had she not been six months pregnant. When she was finally upright she glared back at the rocking chair as if it had been its fault.

She heard Gibbs chuckle and leveled her glare down at him. He only smiled, inclining his head.

"C'mon."

Abby accepted the hand he offered her as she walked down the porch steps. She got a little smile on her face when Gibbs didn't let go and the two started walking down the street, hand in hand.

"So," Abby said as they walked, "you grew up in this house?"

"I did."

A breeze blew by, ruffling their hair and making the leaves on the trees dance. The neighborhood was beautiful, almost rural yet close to town. "Has Stillwater changed much since you were last here?" she asked, looking up at Gibbs.

He seemed to let out an involuntary chuff of laughter. "No, it hasn't changed much."

"So, tell me what has changed," Abby suggested as they turned onto a new street.

Gibbs pointed to a gnarled old tree off to the right. "That tree used to be a lot smaller."

"Gibbs!" she squealed, bumping him with her hip and leaning her head onto his shoulder.

He laughed again. "What? I don't remember every little thing, Abby."

"Remember something," she instructed him, determined to learn something from their walk.

Gibbs was quiet for a minute, then pointed. "The kid who lived in that house stole my first girlfriend."

Oooh, now this could be good. "How old were you?"

"Seven."

"Seven!" Abby squeaked. "Our son is not having a girlfriend until he's, at least, thirteen."

Gibbs looked amused.

They walked quietly down several streets until they reached Main Street. There, Gibbs paused and stared off into the distance.

Abby didn't press, this time, seeing something in his expression that made her think whatever he was thinking about was painful.

"There used to be a thrift store there," he said finally. Pointing across the street to an empty storefront for rent. "That's where I first saw Shannon."

The whole world seemed to slow down as Abby reflected on what a huge step this was for Gibbs. "Did she work there?" she questioned softly.

A single nod. "Used to change the clothes on the mannequin."

"She was beautiful," Abby murmured without thinking.

Gibbs was suddenly looking down at her with a frown on his face.

"Jackson has photo albums," Abby confessed, looking down at her feet. She was lousy at keeping secrets anyway. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too mad.

To her surprise, Gibbs didn't say anything, just tugged at her hand until she followed him down the street. She noticed him stiffen as they passed the General Store and very carefully not look inside. Abby glanced behind as they were passing and noticed Jackson doing the same thing from inside the store.

Obviously, something had happened between the two of them earlier. She bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn't have suggested that Gibbs go with Jackson earlier. She'd been hoping the two would talk and maybe make up, but apparently things hadn't gone so well.

She didn't want them to fight, didn't want them to be mad at each other. She just wanted everyone to get along. Was that so much to ask?

When they reached the edge of town, Abby could see overgrown train tracks and wooden benches under an overhang by what apparently used to be a train station. Gibbs led her over to the benches and pulled her down onto one of the seats. He let go of her hand, causing her to frown until he settled his arm over her shoulders.

She didn't hesitate to snuggle into his chest.

"Don't talk about my past much," Gibbs remarked.

Abby looked up at him. "Gibbs! I had no idea!"

He simply raised his eyebrows. "You wanna hear what I got to say or not?"

"Sorry," she murmured, settling her head back down on his chest. "Go on."

She felt his chest rise and fall with a deep breath. "That didn't seem to work well in my other marriages, but it's who I am."

"I don't expect you to change." Maybe other women expected that from their significant others, but Abby never had. How could she expect someone to accept her for who she was if she couldn't accept them for who they were?

"I'm gonna try," Gibbs said to her surprise. "Don't promise to do it often, but maybe if I talk a little I won't screw this one up."

Abby pulled away again, this time, to look up at him in shock. "You are not going to mess this up, Jethro. How could you think that?"

He tilted his head. "Gonna let me talk, Abbs?"

"Sorry." Abby pecks him on the cheek and returned to her former position, waiting patiently for Gibbs to begin.

"Joined the corps in '76." Abby could feel Gibbs' voice vibrate through his chest. "Met Shannon here, waiting for the train."

As much as Abby wanted Gibbs to talk to her about his past, things suddenly felt too serious and she couldn't stop herself from trying to inject some humor into the situation. "Wait, you left on a train? Just how old are you, anyway?"

He squeezed her side, not quite a pinch but harder than a tweak. Either way, it made Abby squeal. He was still staring off somewhere in the distance, but his lips twitched upward.

"Wait, you two didn't meet until you were eighteen?" Abby looked up at him. "How did you two live in the same small town and never meet?"

"Her parents moved away when she was small and they didn't move back until my senior year," Gibbs explained. "Wasn't real smooth with the ladies back then, so we'd never spoken."

"That's hard to believe," Abby said sincerely.

He looked down at her and smiled. "It's the truth."

Abby closed her eyes. "I know. You always tell me the truth."

"I try." She felt Gibbs' lips press against her forehead, his beard gently brushing against her face. She nuzzled closer, loving the roughness of it. She made a mental note to talk to him later, to make sure he wasn't planning on shaving it off anytime soon. Abby had come to love that beard.

She fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt. "Jethro?" she asked softly, biting her lip. She felt rather than heard him try to look at her, but she kept her face angled down.

"Yeah?"

"What happened today?" she asked. "With Jack I mean."

Gibbs took a deep breath. "Nothing that hasn't happened a dozen times before," he finally said.

Abby pulled away, still tucked under his arm but able to sit up and look him in the eye. "Do we need to leave?" There wasn't an ounce of accusation in her tone, she did her best to show with those words that she would be on her husband's side, no matter what.

Even if she thought he was being an idiot and should just make up with his father.

Gibbs shook his head slowly. "Was planning on heading home tomorrow, no need to go until then."

She nodded slowly. "Okay." It hadn't really answered her question, but she supposed this was as much as she could realistically expect out of her husband. She'd known who he was when she married him, it would be stupid to think he'd change now.

He tugged on one of her braids and Abby put her head back down on his chest, closing her eyes to listen to the steady beat of his heart. She felt him take a deep inhale before speaking.

"After Mom left, things were okay."

Abby focused on relaxing her body when every cell wanted to jump up and do some kind of dance because Gibbs was opening up to her! Without a knife to his throat!

"I was still pretty young," Gibbs continued, pausing from time to time to nuzzle Abby's hair. "I lived with Dad, but I saw her all the time. When she got sick, she moved back in with us. Things were…tough after that. When she died, I was angry. I don't know if that will ever go away."

"I can understand that," Abby said slowly.

"Can't promise we'll be close, but I promise I won't let things go this long again."

Abby looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I couldn't ask for anything more than that," she told him sincerely.

Gibbs smiled down at her and Abby couldn't look away from his clear blue eyes. She felt like she'd learned more about him in the past ten minutes than she had as long as she'd known him.

"Can we stop talkin' now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Abby leaned up and brushed her lips across his. "Yeah," she murmured against his lips. "I'm okay with that."

xxx

Gibbs wandered into the garage after dinner, hoping for a few minutes to himself. Abby seemed to be getting along real well with his father, not that he'd expected otherwise. Abby loved everyone, and Jack had never had problems talking to women.

He sat down on a sawhorse off to one side of the freestanding building, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. Damn if being back here didn't make him feel like he was seventeen again.

And that fight with his father! It hadn't changed much over the years either. Gibbs was still angry and Jackson still didn't get it.

He knew Abby had really been hoping that he and his father would make up and be best friends during this trip, but Gibbs doubted that would ever be an option for them. They were just too volatile.

The best he could hope for was to make peace.

Maybe he could still be angry, but let it go. What had seemed like an impossible task shortly after losing Shannon and Kelly seemed much more reasonable now. He just needed to accept that he and Jackson were never going to see eye to eye on certain issues and maybe they could get past it.

If that was something his father even wanted.

Jackson hadn't really tried to keep in touch over the years either. It had been a kind of mutually agreed upon silence. If it hadn't been for Abby, who knows how much longer it would have gone on. Maybe until one of them was gone, who knew?

Gibbs sighed, looking around the garage. He hadn't bothered turning on a light, so everything was shrouded in shadows. Nearly dusk outside, not much light came in through the windows, but it was enough to see that most things were as they had been when he'd left.

This garage was full of memories to Gibbs. When he'd been fighting with Jackson, when he'd been having trouble with school, when his mother had been slowly withering away this was where he had come to escape. He'd tinkered around with an old 1971 Dodge Challenger RT Hemi he'd spent most of his money on. He'd had such plans for that car. He'd had every detail figured out, right down to how he would paint it when it was finished.

But he'd joined the Navy before that happened, and not long after had been married and then had a baby on the way. He'd pushed all thoughts of his teenage sports car dreams out of his head.

Gibbs barely registered the sound of the door opening before a light was flicked on and the entire room was flooded with bright yellow light.

"Leroy? You in here?" he heard his father call.

With a sigh, Gibbs stood up. Across the room, his father stood less than two feet from the door. "Right here."

Jackson shuffled across the room, dodging tools and, at least, three lawn mowers on his way to where Gibbs had been sitting. "Thought I'd find you out here."

Gibbs remained silent. He'd spent a lot of time out here in this garage, and not just working on his car. It was where he used to escape to when his parents were fighting. He used to quiet to collect his thoughts when things were tough, where he went to think about a certain redhead that hadn't known he was alive.

"You put in electricity," he remarked.

"Can't live in the dark ages." Jackson chuffed. "Gotta keep up with the times." He seemed to look pointedly at his son.

Gibbs sighed.

"Your wife told me I couldn't come back in the house until we kissed and made up. So Thanksgiving won't be awkward." Jackson chuckled. "Haven't been kicked out of my own house since your mother was alive."

Before he could think about it, Gibbs smiled. That was his Abby, getting people to do what they didn't want to.

Jackson's smile slowly faded into a more serious expression. "Why'd you come here, Leroy? I'm not necessarily complaining, just didn't expect to see ya after all these years."

"She wanted to meet you," Gibbs said. "Family's important to Abby."

Jackson nodded slowly. "Suppose it's hard to say no to that pretty little face."

He grunted in acknowledgment.

"Didn't think you wanted any more kids," Jackson remarked, looking at Gibbs through the side of his eyes.

"I didn't," Gibbs admitted. "Not until now."

Jackson thought out his next words. "I get the feeling there's a lot more to that story than either of you have told me."

Gibbs stayed quiet. Abby had been fairly open with everyone else about the baby's true parentage, but they hadn't talked about what to tell Jackson. As far as he was concerned, the choice was Abby's if she wanted him to know this wasn't his biological grandchild, or if she wanted to explain about Mikel. Gibbs had eluded to it when Jackson had asked if the baby was his, but nothing definite had been said and the rest was Abby's story to tell if she wanted it told at all.

Likely realizing that Gibbs wasn't going to respond, Jackson nodded slightly and spoke. "Don't want to fight anymore, Leroy. That girl of yours is right, family's important. I want to see my grandson grow up."

For a moment, Gibbs felt a tightness in his chest. So did he.

"How about a peace offering?" Jackson suggested.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "Peace offering?"

Jackson nodded and walked over to one side of the garage where a large dust cloth covered something vaguely car-shaped. He looked directly at his son as he pulled the cloth away.

Gibbs stared at the bright yellow car Jackson uncovered in shock. It was exactly the way he'd imagined it, completely finished with a glossy shine. The fact that Jackson had kept it stunned him, the fact that he'd fixed it up the exact way Gibbs had always wanted it left him downright flabbergasted.

He swallowed hard, trailing his fingertips lightly over the hood. "Dad," he said, his voice catching.

"Thought someday you might come back for it," Jackson remarked.

Gibbs looked up at his father. "I don't know what to say."

"Of course, you can't fit a car seat in it." Jackson leaned his hip against the car. "Didn't realize you were going to be expanding the family."

"Neither did I," Gibbs responded.

Jackson reached into his pocket and tossed Gibbs a set of keys. "You wanna take her for a ride?"

Gibbs couldn't stop the wide smile spreading over his face. "Can't think of anything I'd like more."

xxx

Abby stared at the yellow blur as it passed by the kitchen window. Elbow deep in suds as she washed up the dishes from dinner, she could have sworn she heard a shout of glee coming from the car.

She heard the door open and close before Jackson entered the kitchen, his shuffling steps having become familiar to her.

She rinsed off her hands and dried them on a dish towel that had an orange and avocado green floral design on it. "What on God's green earth was that, Jackson?" she demanded to know.

The man in question had a smug smile on his face. "A peace offering."

Abby looked out the window again, but the yellow vehicle was long gone. "That was the car Gibbs was fixing up, wasn't it?" she asked, knowing the answer even before Jackson answered.

"Sure is."

She flung her arms around Jackson with tears glittering in her eyes. "Thank you," she murmured, squeezing him tight.

"Didn't do nothin'," was Jackson's glib response.

"Shut up," Abby muttered, pulling away from him. "You made him happy. That's a lot."

Jackson's face softened, looking down at the floor with a wry smile. "It's never been easy," he agreed.

"No," Abby said softly. "It hasn't."

Jackson put his arm around Abby and led her over to the kitchen table, where they sat down across from each other. "You make him smile," he told her. "You make him happy."

Abby blushed. That was what she wanted, to make Gibbs happy. "Sometimes I just frustrate him."

"Wouldn't be love if you didn't. Hate isn't the opposite of love, you know, it's indifference. Knew my marriage was over when I just didn't care anymore what she did."

Abby stared at the gruff man sitting across from her in amazement. "How is it that you can say things like that and yet produced a son who communicates solely in grunts?"

Jackson gave a bark of laughter. "He may have gotten his stubbornness from me, but he got his communication skills from his mother. I was never quite sure where I stood with that woman."

"He is getting better," Abby said, not wanting Jackson to think she and Gibbs never talked. "I doubt he'll ever be a big talker, though."

"Probably not." Jackson reached out and covered Abby's hands with his own.

"I don't know what I'd do without him," Abby found herself saying. "I haven't had a problem in years that he didn't help solve in one way or another."

Jackson was quiet, his papery hands giving hers a gentle squeeze.

"He isn't the baby's father," Abby blurted out.

"That's not what he told me."

Abby sighed. "Not the biological father anyway."

Jackson didn't break eye contact. "You don't have to tell me, Abby."

"I know." She shrugged. "It's not like it's a secret anyway."

Jackson waited, showing no outward signs of impatience as Abby struggled to collect her words. It was harder telling someone who didn't really know her. She didn't want Jackson to think badly of her.

"My last boyfriend wasn't exactly stable." Abby took a deep breath. "When we broke up he started stalking me."

Jackson's grip on her hands tightened.

"Normally I would have gone to Gibbs," she continued, "but he was dealing with his own stuff. So I got a restraining order, which he ignored, and tried to handle it on my own. When I found out I was pregnant, I just wanted to run away. So I did."

Jackson looked puzzled, and Abby remembered that he didn't know anything that had gone on in Gibbs' life the past few years.

"Gibbs was in Mexico," Abby explained, "so I went to Mexico."

"What was he doing in Mexico?" Jackson leaned forward.

Abby smiled. "The Director called it his 'Margarita Safari'. He was doing the same thing I wanted to; hiding from life."

Abby continued on in the story, telling Jackson about her time in Mexico and her father's heart attack. When she reached the part about her asking to come meet him, he looked awestruck.

"That boy doesn't treat you right, you tell me and I'll tan his hide," Jackson stated firmly. "I'm not kidding either."

"I know you aren't."

Jackson pulled his hands away when the front door screen slammed shut. Abby's mouth twitched upwards when Gibbs entered the room, looking about ten years younger with windswept hair and bright pink cheeks.

Jackson pushed away from the table and stood up. "I'd better make sure the car gets put away properly." He took the keys from Gibbs on his way out the door.

Gibbs walked across the kitchen and took Jackson's place across the table from Abby. He raised his eyebrows and waited.

"You are not driving my son around in a racecar," Abby teased him.

"You can change the subject all you want, Abbs. Still know you two were talkin' about me."

She decided to ignore him. "Do we have to leave tomorrow?" she asked wistfully. She loved Stillwater. And Jackson. She was going to miss them both.

Gibbs nodded. "Don't want to bring trouble here."

"Oh." Abby frowned, knowing Gibbs was right. Even after confiding in Jackson, it was easy to forget the ever present threat of Mikel. If he showed up and Jackson got hurt she'd never forgive herself.

Gibbs heaved a sigh. "We can come back sometime if ya want."

A smile immediately spread across Abby's face. She hadn't expected him to agree to another visit for at least a month or two after they left. "After the baby's born?" she suggested.

"We'll see." Gibbs clearly wasn't ready to commit to anything, but Abby still viewed this as a win.

Her smile slowly drifted away. "Have you heard from McGee today?" she asked, thinking about Mikel again.

Gibbs nodded. "Nothing new."

Abby took a deep breath and sat up in her chair. She was not going to let Mikel ruin her last night in Gibbs' hometown. "Jackson told me about the diner in town. I thought maybe we could all go there for dinner?" She fixed her sweetest smile on her husband.

Gibbs groaned. "They all know me there, Abbs."

"That's the point." Abby beamed at him.

 **Since this chapter wasn't super exciting, here's a sneak peek of what's coming up next:**

 _As she opened the door she knew instantly that she should have checked who it was before answering._

 _"Mikel." Abby took a step back, her hands instinctively covering her stomach. "You, you shouldn't be here."_


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Gauntlet Thrown

_So sorry for the delay and the false alert, the site did something weird with the formatting and then my internet went out._

 **Chapter Fifteen: Gauntlet Thrown**

 **Rule #40: If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are.**

The ride back passed quickly. Abby finished the last couple of chapters in McGee's book and she discussed the story after with Gibbs. He had a few complaints about L.J. Tibbs, but was positive about the rest of the book, which surprised her.

When they pulled up in front of his house, Gibbs gave a deep sigh. It looked exactly the same, except for the lawn which was in desperate need of mowing, as if a pause button had been pushed when he left.

They walked up onto the porch and Gibbs went to open the door, finding it locked. He turned his eyes to her.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, digging through her purse. "Sorry, I forgot." He never bothered locking the door, but apparently Abby had felt differently. Gibbs wasn't even sure where his key was.

He watched her, semi-amused as she continued pawing through the large bag until she finally came up with a small ring of keys. She selected the correct one and held it up, offering it to him.

"Thanks," he said, taking the keys and unlocking the door.

He walked inside and set his suitcase down in the foyer. Taking a deep breath, Gibbs observed that his house still smelled like Abby. Her perfume, her shampoo, the faint scent of lab chemicals.

She had told him she'd stayed there while he was away, but now that they were both there to stay (at least until the baby was born) it hit him how much it already felt like Abby's home too.

There was a pair of her ridiculously high heeled chunky boots laying near the doorway. Stacks of magazines like Scientific America, Forensic Anthropology, and one issue of Rolling Stone were laying on the coffee table.

He walked further into the house and noticed tiny touches of Abby everywhere. A jacket hanging over the back of the couch, canned food on the shelves he had no memory of buying, pretty smelling soap in the bathroom.

Abby hovered behind him. He didn't need to hear the words to know she was nervous about his reaction. "Looks good, Abs," he told her, leaning back to kiss her on the cheek.

"I tried not to change anything too much," she rambled, following him up the stairs.

Gibbs shrugged. "Can change whatever you want. It's your house too now."

He walked past the door to his bedroom and opened up the the door to the guest room. Once upon a time it had been Kelly's room, but he'd packed up her things long ago, what he hadn't donated anyway. Since then it had housed an old treadmill someone talked him into taking (but he'd never used for more than a clothing rack) and a twin mattress on a frame, just in case someone ever needed to stay there, like his father.

The guest room had never been used.

Gibbs leaned against the doorway. "I'll get Tony and McGee to help me clear this junk out next weekend."

Abby bit her lip. "For a nursery?" she said softly.

"Yeah." Gibbs nodded. "For a nursery."

He could see the wheels in her head turning and knew she wanted to ask about the former occupant of the room, but didn't think it was a good time. Since Gibbs wasn't really feeling up to any deep conversations himself, he moved back into the hallway.

"I notice the guest room didn't get used," he said seriously, trying to get a rise out of her.

"There's an inch of dust on that mattress!" Abby protested. "Besides, your bed's comfier."

"S'ok," he said with a small laugh. "Would have told you to use my room anyway if you'd asked."

"You're not mad that I didn't ask, are you?"

Gibbs turned around slowly. According to what he'd read on Abby's book thingamajig, her hormones would be going crazy throughout the pregnancy and causing a lot of mood swings, some of which he'd already experienced. So far, the biggest change he'd noticed in her was a sudden lack of confidence.

"Of course not." Gibbs pulled her against his body and gave her a hug. "If I wanted to keep people out, I would have locked the door, wouldn't I?"

"You never lock the door." Her voice was muffled against his shirt.

Gibbs smiled. "Exactly my point."

"Oh." Abby pulled back and looked up at him. "Sorry I'm being so crazy insecure, I can't seem to help it."

"Hormones," Gibbs reminded her. "You really can't help it."

She furrowed her brow. "Were you reading one of my pregnancy books?"

"You left your book whatchamacallit open a couple times." Gibbs poked her in the ribs. "I got bored."

She grinned up at him. "My book whatchamacallit? That makes you sound so old."

"Hate to break it to ya, Abs, but I am old."

"You're mature." Her smile slowly faded. "You do realize if this keeps up I'm going to turn into a raving lunatic before this baby is born, right?"

"Turn into?" He grunted as she elbowed him in the ribs. "I was just kidding!"

Abby pulled away and reached for the bedroom doorknob. "You ready to see what happens when a homeless girl squats in your bedroom for six weeks?"

"I'm bracing myself," he said in a monotone, making her laugh again. "I doubt it's that bad, you were the one that said you like to keep your apartment spotless."

Abby paused. "You remember that? What am I saying, you remember everything."

"Not everything."

"Everything that matters." Abby smiled at him. "Okay, you can look." She opened the door.

Gibbs peered inside the room. Despite Abby's grave warnings, he didn't see that much of a change and certainly nothing shocking. No coffin, no skulls, and she hadn't painted the walls black. His bed was still the main piece of furniture, although the navy blanket he rarely slept under had been replaced with a dark purple plaid bedspread.

Abby seemed to be searching his face for signs of anger, or at least displeasure.

"You didn't paint the walls pink and I don't see any ruffles," he said wryly. "This is already much better than my last two marriages."

Abby was biting her lip, trying not to giggle.

Gibbs reached over and squeezed Abby's hand. It's your house now," he said simply.

"I promise to never paint the bedroom walls pink," Abby vowed, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds with mischievousness.

Gibbs released her hand and patted her shoulder. "And no curtains in the basement," he warned, turning to head downstairs so he could get their bags.

"Aw." Abby's laughing voice followed him down the stairs. "Not even if they have little boats on them?"

Gibbs could only pray that she was joking.

xxx

"Abbs?" Gibbs called softly, walking in the front door. He had gone out that afternoon to pick up a few things for dinner and to feed them for the weekend. Apparently there was a thunderstorm warning and everyone and their brother was out buying bottled water and batteries like a bunch of paranoid hippies. The entire trip had wound up taking nearly two hours instead of the twenty minutes he had expected.

"Abby?"

He brought the grocery bags into the kitchen and put the perishables in the fridge. Maybe she'd fallen asleep upstairs. She was tired most of the time now, although getting her to actually just lay down and take a nap was like pulling teeth. Most days she just dozed off at some point in the afternoon while she was reading or watching TV.

He walked up the stairs softly and peered into the bedroom, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping. Huh. The bed was still made and no Abby in sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gibbs saw a cracked door and a sliver of light. Oh. She was in the attic.

Gibbs had told her she could do whatever she wanted to the house (within reason) but somehow the attic had never come up. He wasn't totally sure how he felt about her being up there. Most of the stuff was junk, furniture he'd intended on fixing at some point, old books and records.

He pushed the door open the rest of the way and walked up the creaky, dusty stairwell. He paused nearly at the top, peering through the rails at Abby.

She was sitting cross legged in a circle of open boxes, flipping through a photo album. Gibbs felt his stomach tense, knowing she was likely looking at one of the albums Shannon had put together during their marriage. He'd never kept up with stuff like that, simply putting pictures he acquired in a box. But it had been important to Shannon that every detail of their life be labeled and in chronological order with the accompanying photographs, just in case anyone ever wanted to see.

Abby obviously did.

He took the last few steps, purposely clearing his throat as he got to the top.

Abby's head snapped up. Her eyes were wide and there was a smudge of dust on her cheek. "Gibbs!" she exclaimed, her fingers gripping the pages of the album tightly. "What are you doing up here?"

Gibbs grabbed a dusty chair that didn't look like it would fall apart and sat down across from her. "I live here," he reminded her.

"I know that," Abby said, still wide eyed. "I thought you went to the grocery store."

"I did." Gibbs stared at her, a little amused. "That was two hours ago, Abby."

"It was?" she looked startled. "I guess I lost track of time. I was getting something out of the linen closet and remembered I'd never been up here. I guess I got curious." She shrunk down, looking a little guilty.

"It's okay," Gibbs heard himself saying. He leaned forward. "Which album were you looking at?"

Abby bit her lip before answering. "Kelly's baby album," she said softly." She pushed the album closer to him.

Gibbs stared at the page she had the album open to. He was in the pictures, but Kelly still had that wrinkled and squishy look to her, so it must have been right after he arrived home, which was when Kelly was a week old.

He remembered the first time he held her. Standing in front of Shannon, whose hair was sticking in all directions, looking utterly exhausted yet ever so beautiful. He'd just gotten back from his deployment and Shannon had been waiting with a tiny pink bundle. She'd gently placed Kelly in his arms the second she reached him and Gibbs had been so stunned. She was the tiniest, most perfect creature he had ever seen, with just the slightest dusting of ginger hairs on her head. He'd fallen instantly and madly in love with her, suddenly understanding what it really meant to be a parent.

"I'm sorry," Abby said suddenly. "I shouldn't have been snooping."

She made move to close the album when Gibbs stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Look as much as you like," he said huskily, and seeing her eyes widen when she saw the tears in his eyes. "Look as much as you like, I just don't think I can."

"She was beautiful," Abby said after a few minutes. "Both of them were.

Gibbs remained silent. He just couldn't imagine how talking in this situation could possibly go well. He didn't talk about Shannon and Kelly, he just didn't. And in his experience, women didn't take that well.

"I know this is incredibly hard for you," Abby said, slowly setting the album aside, "but I want our baby to know about his sister. I want to pick our some pictures of her to frame and put around the house."

"Abby," Gibbs started, but didn't continue.

She crossed her arms across her stomach. "This is important to me. I know how I felt when I found out you'd been keeping this a secret, I won't let our son find out like that." She pushed the albums aside.

He took a deep breath, trying not to get angry. "It wasn't any of your business then. We worked together, that was all."

Her eyes started welling up with tears. Aw, hell. He knew this wasn't going to go over well, that's why he never wanted to talk about it in the first place. He knew how Abby probably reacted to finding out about his family without having to hear about it.

There were many reasons why he chose to go to Mexico that summer, and he'd be lying if he said none of them were to avoid conversations like this.

"I thought we were friends," Abby said softly, her voice obviously choked up.

"Don't go there, Abbs. You know we were friends, but friends don't have to tell each other every damn detail of their lives. If they did maybe you'd have told me about that maniac ex of yours before it got dangerous."

Fire flashed in Abby's eyes. She was angry. That was an improvement over the tears at least.

"You weren't lying about the second 'b' being for 'bastard', were you?" Abby began pushing herself to her feet. "I'm just trying to figure out how we're going to make this family work and all you can think about is yourself."

He reached out to steady her when her balance wobbled but she shoved his hand away. Yup, she was angry all right.

"Fine," she said, wading through the boxes until she was near the stairs. "Keep your pictures. And someday when our son wants to know why you were ashamed of your daughter I'll let you handle it."

She stomped down the stairs, her shoes echoing off the stairwell as Gibbs sat alone in the middle of the attic.

He needed a drink.

xxx

The doorbell rang.

Abby groaned and heaved herself up off the couch, something that was getting harder by the day. She had been trying to distract herself all day by watching an old monster movie marathon, but she couldn't get her mind off the fight she'd had with Gibbs.

It had been hours now and he was still in the basement, drinking bourbon and sanding something most likely. What she really wanted to do was go down there and chisel a chunk off of his boat, but she restrained herself.

Abby wasn't sure why she thought things would be so different between them. A man with three ex-wives, of course things were going to be difficult. She knew he would escape some days into the basement to work on his boat and ignore the world, but somehow she'd been hoping it wouldn't be her he was hiding from.

Obviously, she was wrong.

No one needed to tell her that she'd overreacted. Until that day, she'd been so careful not to push him, not to force Gibbs to tell her anything he wasn't ready to. They had years until this baby was old enough to understand about Kelly. There was so much time, why had she pushed him?

She sighed as she reached the front door. Who was coming over so late anyway? It had been just past nine the last time she had looked at the clock.

When she opened the door she knew instantly that she should have checked who it was before answering.

"Mikel." Abby took a step back, her hands instinctively covering her stomach. "You, you shouldn't be here."

"I had to see you." Mikel was looking at her with the bloodshot eyes she recognized all too well and took a step forward. "I missed you."

"You're not allowed to be here," Abby grabbed an umbrella out of the pot beside the door and pointed the pointy end at him. "A hundred yards! What part of not within one hundred yards do you not understand?"

"You didn't answer my emails." She could practically see the mania in his eyes, that he hadn't been sleeping and his judgment was probably completely gone by this point.

"That's because I have nothing to say to you." Abby balanced on the balls of her feet, not wanting to get caught off guard. "You can't be here. You need to leave, Mikel."

"Is the baby all right?" Mikel asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "It's my baby too, Abby. You can't keep me away."

"I can and I will," she declared, her eyes narrowing. "Don't you remember the restraining order? You can't be here," she repeated firmly.

He tilted his head.

Abby was starting to get scared. She remembered that look in his eyes from when things first started getting weird. It meant he wasn't on his medication and he was losing track of reality.

Her first instinct was to scream for Gibbs. Suddenly their fight seemed a thousand years away, and all she wanted was Gibbs. But if she screamed for Gibbs, he might hurt Mikel and get arrested. She didn't want Mikel hurt and she certainly didn't want Gibbs to go to jail. Maybe she could just get him to leave herself.

"If I call the cops you'll get arrested, Mikel. You don't want to get arrested again, you hated jail, remember?"

Mikel laughed. "They aren't going to arrest me. I'm just trying to take care of my child. Make sure his mother won't be putting him in danger, shacking up with some old guy."

"Jethro is my husband!" She poked him firmly in the stomach with the umbrella to make her point.

Fast as a bolt of lightning, he grabbed the end of the umbrella and used it to yank Abby towards him. He grabbed her arm in his other hand. "I just want to make sure you and the baby are all right. Wouldn't want something to happen to you and the little guy have to grow up without a mother."

"Gibbs!" Abby shouted, instantly beyond caring if Mikel got hurt. He was threatening her baby and she felt her momma bear instincts bubbling up. Now Mikel would deserve whatever he got. She struggled, making an attempt to get him to let her arm go but he was just too strong.

"Don't be like that, Abby," Mikel pleaded, looking more and more deranged by the minute. "I just want us to be a family again. I want to keep you safe."

"Like when you slashed my tires and broke into my apartment?" Abby kicked him as hard as she could in the shin, almost succeeding in startling him into loosening his grip. "We were never a family."

"We will be."

As Abby struggled against him, she dropped the umbrella and pushed against his shoulder. When his jacket shifted, she saw a flash of silver.

A gun. He had a gun!

She jerked her head, looking around as if someone was standing behind him. It had the desired effect, causing Mikel to glance behind him and give Abby a chance to wrench her arm out of his grip.

She ran towards the basement door. "Gibbs! Help!"

Gibbs nearly collided into her, already running up the stairs with his gun in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Mikel," she said pointing, and he took off towards the front door. "Be careful! He has a gun!"

She wanted to scream for him to come back, that she needed him, but held back knowing it was more important for him to catch Mikel at that moment.

There was a gunshot shortly after Gibbs disappeared out the front door followed by three more. Abby started to shake and pray that he was all right.

He returned less than a minute later, slightly winded. "He was already in his car, I couldn't catch him. Are you all right?"

Abby was shaking harder. "No," she told him, tears welling up in her eyes. "He didn't hit you, did he?"

Gibbs pulled her into his arms. "Nah. I'm fine. I need to call the police, though," he told her, letting go with one arm to grab his cell phone off the table.

Abby listened to him talk to the police, then call Tony and demand that everyone come over there, right now.

Gibbs pushed his phone into his back pocket and pulled her away from him slightly, catching her wince when he touched her right shoulder. "Did he hurt you?"

"He grabbed my arm," the words weren't even out of her mouth before Gibbs was tugging her shirt sleeve up and examining her arm. She wrinkled her nose when she saw that small finger shaped bruises were already forming.

"Did he touch you anywhere else?" Gibbs demanded.

She shook her head. "No. I kicked him in the shin though." She was really glad she hadn't taken her shoes off.

Gibbs pulled her back against him. "Should have kicked him in the nuts."

She giggled. "I don't know if I can kick that far up anymore."

Gibbs put one of his hands firmly on her stomach and the other on the side of her face. "If he hurts you again," he murmured, brushing his lips across hers, "I might have to kill him."

Abby shook her head. "Don't kill him. It'll make a mess and he isn't worth it."

"No, but you are." Gibbs let his hand fall off her stomach and pulled his cell phone back out, dialing with one hand. "Ducky?" he said after a moment. "I need you to come over."

"Gibbs, I'm fine," Abby murmured, but he shushed her.

He shushed her!

"That creep that's been stalking Abby showed up and he grabbed her pretty hard. I want you to check her out, make sure everything's okay." Gibbs hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

Abby took a step back from him. "You shushed me!"

He got a sheepish look on his face. "I want Ducky to check you over."

"Don't you ever shush me." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, ignoring the sting as she stretched her right arm across her chest. "I do not like getting shushed."

"Won't happen again," Gibbs said simply. She didn't believe him. He'd do it in a heartbeat if he was worried about her again.

And she was too scared to even care.

It wasn't long before the house was full of people. Tony and Ziva were patrolling outside the house. McGee had taken over the kitchen table and was running programs on his computer (once Gibbs finished yelling and demanding why Mikel had been able to get this close without anyone knowing about it). The police were wandering around, taking statements and generally pissing off the NCIS agents, who wanted to be in control of the case.

Abby was busy beating herself up over not checking to see who it was before opening the door. She knew better than that! All the times she had sneered at stupid women in horror movies and she'd just done the equivalent of wandering into the basement in her underwear to check out the creepy noise while the power was out.

She managed to get Gibbs to agree to go give the policemen a statement while Ducky checked her out in the living room. There wasn't anything he could do for the bruises, but he gave her a brief examination, for Gibb's sake, to check for any other injuries of which she had none.

Abby stayed in the living room while Ducky went to go report his findings to Gibbs. She wanted to be angry at Gibbs for being so overprotective, but she couldn't, not when she was so damn scared. If Gibbs hadn't been there… Mikel could have and would have hurt her. She was sure of it. And if she got hurt, well the baby would get hurt.

And that was the scariest part of all.

She was responsible for this life inside her. He literally depended on her for every beat of his little heart. It wasn't enough to just survive, she had to take care of herself.

What if she couldn't do it? What if she was doing a terrible job? She wasn't even smart enough to check who was at the door before opening it, how could she keep this baby safe and healthy?

"Abby?"

She looked up to find Ziva standing a few feet in front of her. The woman moved as silently as a cat.

"Are you all right?" Ziva asked.

Abby shrugged. Physically she was fine, but emotionally? That was a loaded question. Not to mention entirely subjective and dependent on the exact second you asked her.

Ziva came over and sat down on the couch next to her. Abby could hear Gibbs yelling at one of the policemen outside, but it was fairly quiet inside.

"I'm mad," Abby said finally when it became obvious Ziva was waiting for her to speak.

"At Mikel, yes?" Ziva responded.

Abby shook her head. "No, I'm mad at myself."

"For what?" Ziva asked, looking puzzled.

"I shouldn't have opened the door," Abby told her. "I know better. And I knew Mikel would find me here eventually. I'm not doing a good enough job."

"Doing a good enough job?" Ziva frowned. "Yes, you should have checked to see who was there, but everyone makes mistakes."

"I can't," Abby insisted, hugging her midsection. "Not anymore."

"Oh." Ziva nodded, suddenly putting things together in her mind. "You are worried about the little one?"

Abby nodded.

Ziva thought for a minute. "Are you doing the best that you can?"

"I'm trying."

"Then you cannot do any more." Ziva leaned forward and glanced down at Abby's stomach. "You do the best that you can and Gibbs will pick up the slack. That is what a husband is for."

Abby gave her a tiny smile. "I guess. It's just…"

"What?" Ziva prompted.

"We had a big fight this afternoon," Abby blurted out. "It was stupid and I said mean things to him and I'm probably on my way to becoming ex-wife number four and…"

Ziva stood up suddenly and the weight that took her place had the faint smell of sawdust.

Feeling like an idiot, Abby burst into tears again and buried her head in Gibbs' chest. "I'm sorry I was so stupid. I know you must hate me-"

"Shhh," Gibbs murmured, rubbing her back gently. When her sobbing had slowed to just slight shudders, he pulled her back and framed her face with his hands. "Abbs, we just had a fight. It's not the first fight we've ever had, and it won't be the last."

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered, her brain moving from the fight back to Mikel. "What did I do to deserve this? Why can't I make him go away?"

"It's not about you, Abby. It's about him." Gibbs slid his hands around to her back.

She sniffled. "Then why do I feel so guilty?"

"I don't know, why do you?" He trailed his fingertips up and down her spine.

"Because…" Abby took a halting breath. "I think this might be all my fault."

"Maybe it is."

Abby's head jerked up and she shoved Gibbs away from her. "How could you say that? I didn't do anything wrong! Just because that defective lunatic can't get it through his head that we're over? This is not my fault. This is not my fault at all!"

Gibbs sat there silently, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh," Abby said in a small voice. "I get what you were trying to do there." She leaned back into his arms with a sigh.

Gibbs kissed her softly, putting all his love and reassurances into the press of his lips against hers. When he pulled back, her brain had turned to mush and her hormones were focused on other, much more pleasant matters.

"Have you see DiNozzo yet?" he asked.

"No, just Ducky and Ziva."

Gibbs gave her a wicked look. "Wanna go scare the hell out of him?"

She frowned. "How would I do that?"

"I don't think anyone told him you're pregnant."

She started to laugh. "That's so mean."

"I know." Gibbs stood up and offered his arm. "Wanna?"

He didn't have to ask her twice.

 **A/N:** There was originally another scene, but then I realized how long this chapter was and moved it to the next one, which was a little short. Only three chapters left ya'll! The last chapter is done, complete, finished, but the other two need a little work. So if there's a slight delay, that's why.

I hope this chapter lived up to everyone's expectations!


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Distraction

**Chapter Sixteen: Distraction**

 **Rule #10: Never get personally involved on a case.**

Tony, Ziva, and McGee were in the kitchen talking amongst themselves when Abby and Gibbs walked in.

"Whoa!" Tony exclaimed, his eyes getting comically wide. "Please tell me you're smuggling a watermelon."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Really Tony? That's the best you could do?"

"It's short notice." Tony walked slowly around her in a circle while Gibbs rolled his eyes at him. "This is new…"

"Not really, unless you consider six months new," Abby quipped, smiling shyly over his shoulder at McGee.

"Six months?" Tony still hadn't taken his eyes off her belly. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! Why didn't you tell me?"

Abby shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't tell anyone else either before I left." This was a big surprise and probably blowing Tony's little brain, but surely she wasn't the first pregnant woman he'd ever seen. (or, at least, the first one he wasn't afraid was going to sue for child support)

"Wait a minute." Tony whirled around and pointed a finger at McGee and Ziva accusingly. "Why don't you two look shocked?"

McGee and Ziva exchanged glances.

"No way!" Tony exclaimed. "They knew? How come they knew?" he whined.

McGee shrugged. Abby told me."

"McGee told me," Ziva replied.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're both dead to me, you know that right?"

Gibbs cleared his throat. "You guys can fight about this later. I want to know what you're doing about Mawher."

Tony exchanged a meaningful look with Ziva and McGee.

"What?" Gibbs demanded.

"Look, the local LEOs want to take over the case and I don't have a reason for them not to," Tony told Gibbs, flinching somewhat at the expression of fury on his face. "I'm not saying we're gonna abandon Abby," he hurried to reassure, "but Abby isn't an NCIS employee right now. This isn't our jurisdiction."

"I beg to differ, Anthony," Ducky said coming into the kitchen to catch the end of their conversation. "Miss Scuito is a Navy dependent now."

Tony looked confused.

"Although her name isn't Miss Scuito anymore," Ducky added.

"What?" Tony looked at Ducky, then Gibbs. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something? How can Abby be a Navy dependent?"

Ducky looked to Gibbs.

"Her last name is Gibbs now," he told Tony, choosing not to drag things out any further. He and Abby'd had their fun, now it was time to get serious.

Tony froze. "Excuse me?"

"Jethro and Abigail are married," Ducky clarified.

"What?" Tony's jaw dropped open. "Since when? When did this happen?" He didn't seem to know where to look anymore, although his eyes kept falling to Abby's stomach as if it held the answers to all his questions.

"A couple weeks ago," McGee responded from across the room.

Tony whirled around, apparently having forgotten there was anyone else in the room. "And you knew? Did everyone know but me?"

"I do not know about everyone," Ziva stated, "but I knew as well."

Tony was turning in circles by this point, giving everyone incredulous looks while he digested the information he had just received.

"This is weird, right?" he asked when he had finally stopped turning in circles. "Am I the only one who finds this weird?"

"Yes," Ziva and McGee said in unison.

Gibbs waved over a passing officer. Maybe he could answer some of their questions. He had not as yet gotten any acceptable answers from anyone about what was being done about Mawher and he was ready to sic his team on the bastard.

"Is there something in particular you'd like to hear?" the man asked, after introducing himself as the detective running lead on the case and attempting to explain why Mawher was not in custody yet.

Gibbs tried not to instantly dislike the man, just because he stood between him and catching the jerk terrorizing his wife. "I'd like to hear that you're going to let NCIS handle this case."

The detective sighed. "Mr. Gibbs, I realize that you are worried about your wife, but this is not a case for NCIS. It's a misdemeanor charge of breaking a restraining order and assault."

Gibbs tried not to growl. "I don't care."

"Just a misdemeanor assault?" McGee asked. "Didn't you see the bruises on her arm?"

Abby moved up next to Gibbs and began rubbing his arm to calm him, and despite his best efforts to stay mad, it was working. Just her mere presence was soothing.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You all right?"

"I'm fine," she whispered back, sneaking a quick kiss. "Really. Please don't do anything to the nice policeman."

Gibbs let out a soft chuckle. When he looked up, he found Tony and McGee both staring at them in surprise. "What?" he barked, feeling Abby's body shake with suppressed laughter.

Ziva held up her cell phone. Apparently while the rest of them had been arguing with the detective, she had been on the phone. "The director says that she forgot to file Gibbs' retirement papers."

"What?" Gibbs did not know where she was going with this.

"She accidentally filed for your unused vacation days instead." Ziva looked highly amused. "Technically you will still be employed at NCIS until tomorrow."

The detective threw up his hands. "Fine then. That's close enough for me. I'll tell my men we're letting NCIS handle this one." He headed out of the room muttering something about 'crazy Navy Cops'.

Ziva bit her lip looking amused. "The problem is now solved, yes?"

Tony turned back to McGee. "Why did he tell you and not me?" he demanded. He was obviously still annoyed at being left out of the loop.

"He needed me to fax a copy of his divorce decree and birth certificate to the courthouse." McGee shrugged, then smiled. "And then when they saw how many times he'd been married they insisted on having copies of all his divorce decrees."

Tony started to laugh, then caught sight of Gibbs' glare and straightened. "Not that there's anything funny about that, Boss."

Abby watched Ziva instinctively step up to stop Tony from being killed with Gibbs' brain. "Director Shepherd would like to speak to you tomorrow," she told Gibbs, smoothly stepping in front of Tony.

Seeing the hesitation in Gibbs' eyes, Abby spoke up. "He'll be there. Carol and I were supposed to go shopping tomorrow anyway."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her, silently reminding her that she had a crazy stalker ex on the loose, and maybe shouldn't be going out by herself.

"Perhaps the three of us could go shopping after work," Ziva suggested, continuing her role as peacemaker for the evening.

"We'll figure it out tomorrow," Abby said, leaning on Gibbs' arm. "I'm really tired, so I think I'm going to head up to bed."

Everyone turned to stare at her, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. Honestly. You can ask Jethro how much time I've been spending in bed lately."

Gibbs head slapped Tony before he had a chance to do more than begin to formulate a crude remark. "Thank you, boss," he muttered.

"Good night everyone," Abby said, leaning up without thinking to give Gibbs a quick kiss on the mouth.

She held back her smile until she had turned away from the group. Tony's jaw had practically been touching the ground and even Ducky looked a little shocked. She hadn't kissed Gibbs with the intention of stirring everyone's curiosity up, but now that she had the aftermath was sure to be hilarious.

Too bad she was too sleepy to stay up and watch.

xxx

"Sure you're going to be all right here alone?" Gibbs asked her the next morning. Shortly after he woke up that morning, he'd received a phone call from Jenny officially offering NCIS's help in tracking down Mikel Mawher. If he worked with the team on the case she would also be able to delay filing his retirement a bit longer, which would guarantee jurisdiction.

He was sure she was also hoping he'd help out with a few other cases while he was around. He didn't mind, but Gibbs had no plans whatsoever of staying. His decision to retire may have been made on the spur of the moment, but his choice was final. He was happy. He didn't need his work anymore to make his life worth living.

He needed to be in the director's office in a half an hour. He hated leaving Abby alone, but he knew she'd made plans for the day and would be furious if he tried to make her cancel.

Abby was sprawled on the couch under a knitted blanket, watching a movie on the had found it set up in his living room when they got home. The screen wasn't huge, but it was a far cry from the tiny black and white set he had in the basement.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine. I told you that like six times, Jethro. I'm just going to relax and watch movies for awhile, then Carol is coming over for lunch."

Gibbs sighed. He knew he was being overprotective, but he couldn't stop seeing Abby's scared eyes from the night before or feeling the way she had shook in his arms afterward. As much as seeing Mikel had shaken her up, he'd been just as shaken by the aftermath of seeing her feelings.

This morning she was obviously feeling better because she was starting to get snarky. "And because I'm extra pathetic this week, the director said that Ziva could get out of work early to take us shopping. Our very own ninja assassin will be supervising me buying onesies and maternity underwear that doesn't look like something my Great Aunt Gert would wear. Maybe she can interrogate someone and find out what Victoria's secret is."

"Okay, okay, I get the point." Gibbs leaned over the back of the couch and gave her a lingering kiss. "You have your cell phone with you?"

She pulled her phone from the folds of the blanket and held it up. "Right here."

Satisfied, he ruffled her hair, which hadn't been pulled back into ponytails yet that morning. He liked the way her hair looked down, liked the fact that most people never saw her that way.

He checked the back door to make sure it was secured and then locked the front door on his way out. It felt strange to do, he hadn't locked his door since Shannon and Kelly were alive.

Diane used to lock the door (he suspected she did so purely to annoy him), but he never had. It just hadn't seemed important.

On the way to the shipyard, he found himself still driving slower than normal. When he'd had Abby in the car, driving safely had become much more of a priority than usual. He hadn't really thought about it, he'd just found himself instinctively driving more sedately than usual.

Gibbs wasn't sure how he felt about being at NCIS headquarters again. He hadn't been back since the day he filed for retirement (obviously) and he was sure there would be mixed feelings about his return although he had no intention of it being more than just a temporary thing.

Strangely, during his time in Mexico, Gibbs hadn't missed the job at all. The people a few times, but not the job. It was a large weight off his shoulders to not be responsible for people's lives anymore.

Not that he regretted his career, because he didn't. There was nothing he would have rather done with his life than work for the Navy.

This should be interesting," he thought as he exited the elevator and headed straight for the staircase up to the director's office. He nodded at McGee, who was the only one at his desk, to let him know he was there and jogged up the stairs.

He strode down the hall purposefully, giving a half-hearted wave to Jen's secretary as he walked into her office.

She was on the phone when he entered with only a half-hearted complaint from her secretary. Jen rolled her eyes at the sight of him and twirled her chair as she talked on the phone.

"I understand completely," she told whoever it was," and I assure you NCIS will look into the matter with the utmost discretion. Now if you'll excuse me, my next appointment just arrived."

Gibbs remained standing until she hung up the phone.

"I see you haven't learned any manners during your time away," Jen remarked, pushing her chair back and standing up.

"With Franks around?" Gibbs laughed and gave her a hug after she approached. "It's good to you, Jen."

"Likewise." She crossed her arms and stared at him as she stood. "I hear a lot of things changed while you were off on your 'margarita safari'."

He gave her a half smile. "Yeah, a few."

"Well?" She gestured at the couch off to the side. "Come on, sit down and tell me all about it."

Gibbs sat and explained the highlights of the past few months to her, starting with Abby's arrival in El Rosario. He kept it as simple as he could, only telling her what she needed to know for the sake of the case.

Jen sighed when he was finished. "I wish she had told me about this when it first started happening."

"She's too stubborn for her own good," Gibbs agreed.

Jen burst into laughter. "Oh, you two are going to be quite a pair. I can't wait to see who gives in to whom more often."

"Have a bad feeling it's gonna be me," Gibbs admitted, leaning back and crossing his legs at the ankles.

"I do too." Jen smiled at him. "You look happy, Jethro. It's good to see."

Gibbs wasn't sure what to say to that. He certainly felt happier. Just about the only thing that could make him even happier would be Mikel Mawher behind bars where he belonged.

"I put Tony and his team to work on the case first thing," Jenny continued. "I'm sure by the time you sneak down there they will have something to tell you."

"I don't sneak," Gibbs protested.

Jen rolled her eyes. "Of course, you don't. Well, when you do whatever it is that enables you to show up exactly when people are talking about you."

That was a secret Gibbs never planned on revealing.

"Why didn't you file for my retirement benefits," Gibbs asked suddenly, hoping that if he threw her off he'd get an honest answer.

Jen was quiet for a moment. "Honestly? I thought you'd come back. I didn't think retirement would take."

He nodded. That made sense. Before the explosion, Gibbs hadn't planned on retiring, not while he was still active enough to keep going. After the explosion, he'd needed time. That time turned into an appreciation of the freedom retirement gave him.

He had a purpose again. He'd never regret his time with NCIS, but there was more to his life now.

"I'm not coming back," Gibbs decided to clarify. He'd left the team in good hands.

Jen nodded. "I figured as much when Ziva told me you'd gotten married. We'll miss you around here. No one closes cases quite the way you do, although DiNozzo is giving it his best shot."

"He's a good agent." Gibbs took a deep breath. "I'm willing to help out on cases from time to time until the baby's born, but after that you need to file my retirement paperwork. For real this time."

"Of course." Jen sat up straighter. "I accept your offer. We'll happily make use of you while you're here, but I must warn you, you're going to have to do it under Tony. He's the team leader. I won't take that away from him, even temporarily."

Gibbs cracked a smile. "Not a problem." It would take some adjustments on everyone's part, but it really wasn't an issue. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd mellowed over the summer, even more so since Abby had come back into his life. That wasn't to say he wouldn't take great pleasure in teasing and making Tony uncomfortable, but he didn't have a problem letting the younger agent take the lead.

"All right then." Jen stood up. "In that case, get to work, Agent Gibbs. You have a stalker to catch."

Yes, he did.

And when he caught Mawher, he'd make him sorry he'd ever come near Abby again.

xxx

When Abby opened the door, Carol immediately dropped the paper bags full of take-out on the floor and yanked Abby in for a hug.

After Carol had finished hugging the stuffing out of Abby, she took advantage of her short stature and began talking to Abby's stomach.

"Look at you, you're already getting so big," she cooed, glancing up to wink at Abby, who was not feeling particularly amused by that observation. "I'm your Aunt Carol and I'm going to spoil you so rotten that it will drive your parents crazy. Yes, I will!"

Abby sighed. "Between my family and the team, trust me, he was already going to be spoiled."

"He?" Carol's head jerked upwards. "You're having a boy?"

"I didn't tell you?"

"No, you didn't!" Carol exclaimed. "When did you find out? I brought Chinese by the way." She leaned down and picked the bags up.

Abby's back was already starting to ache so she began walking into the living room, figuring Carol would follow to continue the conversation. "In New Orleans, when we were visiting my family. Gibbs made me an appointment with my sister in law's obstetrician because he was worried." She settled back down on the couch, spreading the blanket back across her lap.

Carol climbed up beside her. "That's so sweet! You really landed the cream of the crop, my friend. How am I supposed to date the losers that are attracted to me when I know what a real man's supposed to be like?"

Abby giggled. "I'm sure you'll manage."

"It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it." Carol grinned at her. "Seriously, though, how are you? Your friend Ziva called me this morning and told me what happened yesterday."

She sobered. "I'm all right," Abby said carefully, staring down at her hands. "It was really scary, but Gibbs was there. Once I stopped freaking out about how stupid I was to open the door without checking to see who it was I was okay."

"I suppose you can't help but feel safe all wrapped up in those strong arms," Carol murmured, her eyes glazed over slightly.

"Hey!" Abby poked her with her toes. "Back off. He's my marine. Get your own."

"You did say his father's single, right? I like em even older than you do." Carol winked at her.

"You'd better not talk like that around Gibbs, you might give him a coronary." Abby laughed. She'd missed this so much the past couple months. Carol always made her smile and laugh.

"I know." Carol grinned. "It's fun."

Abby leaned back. The teasing, the joking, the easy way the two settled back into their friendship as if they hadn't been away for so long, it gave Abby a feeling of peace she usually only felt around Gibbs these days.

"I still can't believe you married the silver haired fox," Carol mused.

"Carol!" Abby exclaimed.

Her friend laughed and handed her one of the white boxes she was pulling out. "Oh shut up and eat your lo mein."

Abby groaned when she took her first bite of noodley goodness. "Oh man, I've really missed this."

"I guess there's no Chinese food in Mexico, huh?"

"No, but you should see some of the stuff they sell at the local market." Abby began telling Carol all about El Rosario and her time there.

That one subject led to another, which led to another, then yet another, and by the time Ziva got there the pair still hadn't run out of things to talk about.

If Ziva was surprised to see that Carol was a little person she didn't show it, simply suggesting that they get going right away to beat the crowds.

They had barely gone to two stores before Abby's feet were hurting and she was hungry. The trio stopped at the food court for smoothies and fries.

Abby let her thoughts drift as she munched on her fries. Seeing the team last night had been so strange. Good strange, like how good her fries tasted when she dipped them in her smoothie, but still strange.

Everything was so different now.

When Carol politely excused herself to use the restroom, Abby decided to take the opportunity to discuss one of her concerns.

"Ziva?" Abby asked as soon as Carol was out of earshot. "Is McGee doing okay?"

Ziva took a moment to really ponder over her question, which Abby appreciated. She hated it when people just threw out answers to serious questions without so much as a thought. "I think he is doing all right," she told Abby. "He has been very worried about you, however."

Abby nodded. "That sounds like McGee."

"At first," Ziva continued, "I believe he was hurt that you had not confided in him about Mikel."

Abby poked her straw wrapper. "I was afraid of that." She sighed. "Did he ever tell you that the two of us went out?"

Ziva shook her head. "He did not, but I had suspected as much."

"I really liked him," Abby confided, "but he was so family oriented. He wanted to settle down with a white picket fence and a puppy and at the time, I just wanted to go clubbing on the weekends with my friends."

Ziva inclined her head. "And now what do you want?"

Abby touched her belly absently. "I just want to be a good mother and not too terrible of a wife." It was funny how things worked out sometimes.

Ziva smiled. "Abby, I do not think you will have to worry about either of those things. Gibbs looks very relaxed these days. I think you two are good for one another."

"Thank you," Abby said softly. "It helps to hear that."

"You are very welcome."

"Would you do me a favor?" Abby asked a few seconds later. She wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of this until now, but it suddenly made a great deal of sense.

"I can try."

"Could you look out for McGee?" Abby blurted out. "You know, make sure Tony doesn't push him around too much. Don't let him spend all his weekends cooped up in his apartment playing video games." Abby turned on her best puppy dog eyes.

Ziva chuckled. "I could probably manage to do that."

"He's such a good guy." Abby smiled at her. "I worry some girl's going to take advantage of him someday. And not in a fun way either."

"I will do my best to keep an eye out for him," Ziva promised, smiling. "And I will not let him spend too much time alone in his apartment."

"Thank you," Abby told her. "I'm really glad the two of you have become friends."

"I am glad of that also."

xxx

"I don't know, I think she's changed him," Tony was saying as Gibbs quietly walked down the stairs to the bullpen. He winked at Ziva when she glanced up and headed to the area behind Tony.

"What makes you say that?" Ziva asked just a little too loud, never able to resist leaving, at least, some kind of hint that the subject of his discussion had appeared.

Tony leaned back casually in his chair. "Oh come on, surely you saw it. He almost ripped apart the cops but as soon as Abby showed up he was like a big fluffy marshmallow."

"Well I'm assuming he likes her more than us," McGee said dryly. He'd spotted Gibbs too and wasn't cluing in the Special Agent.

Gibbs rested his arms on the cubicle wall.

Tony couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. It was nice to know some things never changed. "She's gonna have him toeing the line pretty soon. She'll say 'jump' and he'll say 'how high?'"

Gibbs leaned a little closer. "Jump."

Tony's chair toppled over, spilling him out onto the bullpen floor. "Sorry, Boss! Gibbs. Jethro?"

He narrowed his eyes in answer.

"Not Jethro." Tony hopped back up onto his feet. "It's good to have you here I'm so sorry please don't hurt me, boss." He blurted everything out as one long run-on sentence.

Ziva and McGee were both laughing by that point, looking thoroughly pleased to see Tony reduced to rambling in front of his boss again. Agent Lee had barely glanced up from her desk, where she was typing intently.

Gibbs reached out his arm, watching Tony flinch, then patted him on the shoulder. "Gibbs is fine," he told his former junior agent. "I'm just consulting on the case, you're still in charge."

"I am? I mean, I am." Tony straightened up a little taller. "Probie! Report!"

McGee took a few extra seconds for rebellion before answering. "I've been tracking Mawher's bank and cell phone records. He pulled three thousand dollars out of his account last night right after leaving your house. No activity on his cell phone or credit cards since."

"We put out a BOLO but so far no hits," Ziva continued the briefing without missing a beat. "I talked to Metro Police but not surprisingly he didn't show up for work today."

Agent Lee stood up and pulled a sheet of paper from her printer. "I just got a search warrant for Mawher's apartment Agent…" she trailed off as she moved towards Gibbs, shrinking a little. "Um, Mr. Gibbs?"

He held back his smile while she squirmed. "Good work, Agent Lee."

She looked startled. "Thank you."

"McGee, you and Ziva go search his apartment, then talk to his neighbors," Tony instructed them. "Did you want to go with them, Boss? Or go round up some friends and family with me?"

Terrifying some of Mikel's known associates sounded appealing right about then, so Gibbs told Tony he would head out with him. Agent Lee stayed behind to keep an eye on the computers and answer the phone in case the BOLO came through for them.

In the end, it was all rather anticlimactic. At the third associate's house, Tony caught Mikel climbing out a side window and had him cuffed before he could even run. When Tony shoved him into the back of the car he 'accidentally' rammed his face into the door frame and fractured the bastard's nose.

Gibbs had a sudden urge to hug Tony.

He resisted.

Mikel ranted the entire way back to NCIS. The two agents studiously ignored him as he shouted about rights and lawyers and Abby and his child. Eventually, his shouts turned to pleading, which didn't have any effect on them either.

Mikel Mawher was finally going to jail.

xxx

Abby had fallen asleep on the couch by the time Gibbs got home. He crouched down beside her and gently stroked her hair until she began to stir.

"Hey," she murmured, her eyes blinking open. "Is it late?"

"Almost seven," he replied.

Abby opened her eyes wider. "I guess shopping tired me out."

"Yeah." Gibbs smiled at her, loving the sleepy way she stretched out and let out little grunts.

"You look pleased with yourself," she remarked, putting her hand on his cheek and pulling him in for a soft kiss.

Gibbs slid his arm around her waist. "I am. We got him, Abbs."

Her eyes widened. "You got him?"

"Yeah." He smiled some more. "It's all over. He's not going to be bothering you anymore."

Abby opened and closed her mouth a couple times. "I don't even know what to say," she admitted.

"Don't have to say anything."

Abby pushed herself into a sitting position and tugged Gibbs up on the couch next to her. She burrowed under his arm and he pulled her legs up over his lap. He leaned down and kissed her softly, his free hand resting on her belly.

Their kisses were growing more passionate when Gibbs forced himself to pull away. "Sorry I yelled at you yesterday," he said, taking a deep breath.

"It's okay. I know I pushed too hard." Abby gave him a weak smile.

"I'm trying," Gibbs promised her. "But I can't promise I'm going to change."

Abby sat up straighter. "I don't expect that. I knew who you were when I married you. I don't want you to change."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Just promise you'll think about it?" she asked, biting her lip. "Shannon and Kelly are a part of who you are. They made you who you are. I want our son to know that."

Gibbs nodded. "Just need time. We'll figure it out by the time he's old enough to understand." There was a part of him that loved how Abby didn't want to forget about his past, even if it hurt. For her, he'd figure out a compromise.

Abby tugged him down for another kiss. "Ready for bed?" she asked when it ended.

"It's not even seven thirty." Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"I know." Abby winked. "You comin'?"

Well, _yeah_.

A/N: I really hope this isn't awful. I had a few rough days and literally just finished wrapping things up. Two more chapters to go.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Checking Out

**A/N:** You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?

 **Chapter Seventeen: Checking Out**

 **Rule #44: First Things First, hide the women and children.**

The next two months was a whirlwind of court dates Abby needed to attend and multiple visits to her midwife.

The judge ruled that Mikel could avoid jail time if he agreed to six months of inpatient treatment at a qualified mental health center, followed by two years of probation conditional on him following recommended treatment which included medication.

Abby felt satisfied with the ruling. She didn't really want Mikel in jail, she just wanted him to leave her alone. She'd seen first hand what a different person he was when he was in therapy and taking his medications. Of course, his mental illness didn't excuse the things he had done, but it couldn't be discounted either.

Just in case, Gibbs insisted on changing all of their phone numbers and getting better locks for the doors. He talked about putting in an alarm system but Abby flat out refused. They were not going to live their lives in fear, she had to draw the line somewhere. They could be safe without being prisoners.

Since they were going to be staying there for a couple more months, Gibbs was helping NCIS out on their caseload until Abby had the baby.

"Not missing any of this, Abbs," he'd told Abby when she reminded him that he didn't have to retire if he didn't want to. He seemed pretty determined so she didn't try to change his mind. Besides, having him around wasn't exactly going to be a hardship. She wanted him there.

After Mikel's sentencing, Abby sat through one very awkward lunch with Mikel's mother Suzanne, who made it very clear that she had little to no interest in being part of her grandchild's life. Abby was a little sad on the baby's part but relieved at the same time. She felt very strongly about not keeping a child away from biological relatives if at all possible but was perfectly happy if Mike's side of the family decided they didn't want to be a part of the baby's life.

Gibbs had been relieved as well. He never said anything, but Abby could tell he worried about the possibility of Mikel getting better and what that would mean for Gibbs' relationship with their son. Nothing she said seemed to reassure him, even when she reminded him that legally Mikel had no rights right now, and was unlikely to have them granted with his mental health history.

Life went on and Abby was just starting to get really bored when she received an email from George Heigl, the man who lived down the beach from Mike Franks.

Apparently he had bumped into Mike in town and the two got talking. One thing led to another, and Mike told him how she and Gibbs would like to raise the baby at least part of the time in Mexico, but were worried about the lack of close medical care. That had sparked something in George, who had been wanting to do something to help out the town that had been so good to him the past few years.

George talked to some of his old contacts in California and was currently helping fund a small medical clinic in El Rosario.

And he wanted Abby to help.

They wouldn't need a forensic scientist, but they would need someone part time who could do basic laboratory testing. Abby jumped at the idea. She really liked the idea of being a stay at home mom, at least while the baby was little, but also was beginning to see that she'd go crazy if she couldn't do some kind of science. This was perfect. The regulations being much more relaxed in Mexico, she could bring the baby to the clinic and basically work any hours she wanted. Between that and the forensic science articles she was still plannin on writing, Abby would have plenty to do to keep herself busy and active in the scientific world, as well as help out the local families that didn't have easy access to medical care.

Also, selfishly, helping meant she and Gibbs could go back to Mexico much sooner and not have to worry as much about the baby getting his checkups and vaccines on schedule.

Abby wasn't sure she could explain why she wanted to raise the baby in Mexico so badly. If someone had told her a year ago that she'd quit her job and move to another country she would have told them they were mad. NCIS had been such a large part of her life for so long she couldn't have been able to imagine a future without it.

Now she could. Maybe it was because Mexico had been the place where this all started. It was where Gibbs had been able to heal and her as well. It was the beginning of their lives together even if they hadn't known it then.

There was always a chance she wouldn't feel like this forever. When the baby was old enough for school she might wish she had more to do with her time. She might hate working at the clinic. She might miss the snow. Being too far from family could be too hard.

In fact, she was fairly certain this would not be forever. Sooner or later, Jackson wouldn't be able to handle the store on his own. Abby would run out of articles to write. One or both of them would just want to come home.

And that was okay. If there was anything Abby had learned the past few months, it was that life could change in an instant. Nothing was forever. There was only the people you loved and the way you loved them.

So, as Abby got closer to her due date, she and Gibbs began planning their return to that little beach south of El Rosario.

It turned out Franks had bought quite a bit of land in his attempt to get away from the world and he insisted Gibbs and Abby build on his property. Mike faxed floor plans and construction estimates from the cantina. When Abby and Gibbs okayed them, he found a group of hardworking men and threatened their lives if they didn't get it done when he wanted.

In the meantime, Ziva and Carol threw Abby a baby shower. Tony and McGee were the only male guests and the three women enjoyed teasing them mercilessly. Abby cried when she tried to tell everyone how blessed she felt and Tony offered her a hundred dollars if she'd stop crying.

It should have been the easiest money she'd ever made.

Damn hormones.

xxx

Gibbs smoothed his hands over his work.

He had uncovered the cradle and brought it down to the basement one day while Abby was out shopping again with Carol. Abby had spent several afternoons up in the attic exploring since their first day, but he was fairly sure she hadn't noticed the cradle which was behind an old dresser and a stack of boxes, all labeled "Old 8 Tracks".

Those boxes had served Gibbs well over the years, providing a place to hide presents or files from his wives and any nosy friends. He'd been rather proud of himself when he'd discovered it to be a foolproof hiding spot.

The cradle was a simple wooden piece, hanging between two elevated hooks on the matching wooden stand. McGee had found the latest safety standards on the computer for him so he could measure between the spindles and make sure it was still safe, and make any needed adjustments.

The cradle had been one of his first large woodworking projects during his marriage, although it had also been one of the quickest projects he had ever completed. He'd begun work the day he found out he was being deployed and finished mere hours before his flight. Coming home and seeing Kelly sleeping soundly within it had made it all worthwhile.

Gibbs had spent some of their time in Louisiana and Pennsylvania whittling away on a few pieces of driftwood he'd brought with him from Mexico.

He wasn't sure what had possessed him to pack the small pieces of wood, but shortly before they'd left he grabbed a handful from his collection and tossed them into the small duffel bag he took with him. The security guard at the airport had looked at him a little funny when they x-rayed his bag, but they'd let it pass.

Those small pieces of driftwood had been slowly transformed into several tiny mythological creatures he intended on using to make mobile out of when he was finished with the cradle.

Gibbs had considered making a new bassinet or cradle for Abby, but after thinking about it for several days, he realized she'd probably appreciate it much more if he fixed up the one he'd built for Kelly.

He knew Abby was still felt hurt that he had never told her about Shannon and Kelly until his coma. She viewed it as proof of some kind of shortcoming on her part, that he hadn't been able to trust her enough. This not being like Abby, he suspected a great deal of this hurt was tied in with her pregnancy hormones, but he was also smart enough to never ever mention it to her.

No, Abby would love this cradle most of all, because it would represent him allowing her a little further into the life he had spent so many years hiding from. She would read all kinds of sentimental things into him keeping it though really Gibbs didn't need a piece of furniture to remember his daughter with.

He knew Shannon's friends had looked down on him for not keeping a lot of mementos from that time period, which was one of the major reasons none of those people were in his life anymore.

They might not have been together at the time of her death, but Jackson had loved Ann Gibbs very much. Gibbs had grown up watching his father cling onto tiny pieces his mother had left behind and knew full well how grief could turn inconsequential inanimate objects into precious items of unfathomable worth.

This wasn't the way Gibbs felt. Even in his initial grief, he hadn't wanted to keep Shannon's belongings around their room. When he'd arrived home, just in time for the funerals, he'd had to box up all of her things just to be able to sleep in the room. And even then, as Abby would learn many years later, he never slept well in that room, not alone.

Abby didn't ask about Shannon and Kelly much anymore although he knew that she probably had a list of questions somewhere that was a mile long. After their argument, she had mostly been letting him be the one to bring up Kelly or Shannon, only asking the occasional question when he'd already brought up the subject.

It wasn't the questions that hurt really, or the remembering. Gibbs was used to that. People would ask questions, he chose whether or not he answered them, that was life. And remembering, well he remembered every day. There wasn't a day that went by where something didn't remind him of his wife and daughter. That too was normal, at least if he'd asked a therapist, which he chose not to.

No, it was the after effects of the questions that bothered him. People generally reacted in one of two ways. First, they would get that look of pity, and he would immediately become a victim in their eyes. Gibbs despised being thought of as a victim. He wasn't a victim, he was a survivor. Shannon and Kelly were the victims, snuffed out in the middle of their lives for no good reason except because a drug lord wanted to go unpunished for a murder he had been dim enough to allow to be witnessed.

Then there was the second reaction. The avoidance reaction. Where the person would move heaven and earth not to mention a number of subjects which now seemed taboo, such as wives, marriage, children, death, murder, guilt, loss, red headed women, dating, anything in his past life, related to his past life, sometimes right down to the absurdist details.

This was why Gibbs had chosen to keep that part of his life, his first wife and daughter, secret from the people he worked with. It was why he endured the desperate speculations of Tony and Kate when they saw him being picked up or dropped off by Shannon's cousin Molly, even though he knew they were convinced he was having some kind of torrid affair. It was easier to let them believe he had a secret lover than to explain the reality of sometimes monthly dinners that were the only place both Gibbs and Molly felt free to talk about their loss.

It was so much easier not having people know. His three ex-wives, that was slightly embarrassing but Gibbs didn't mind that. He'd been expecting all the wrong things out of those relationships and therefore, they all came to their ultimately inevitable end.

Gibbs ran his hands over one of the spindles of the cradle, dusty and scratched but still smooth to the touch. He really had never seriously considering having another child until now.

He knew his first ex-wife, Diane, had wanted children but had mostly kept mum on the subject because she knew he was still healing from the losses of Shannon and Kelly. His second ex-wife, Rebecca, had pressed the subject on numerous occasions but he still hadn't wanted to discuss it. As far as he was considered, it wasn't something that he ever wanted, so why talk about it? That had eventually led to the demise of their marriage.

With Stephanie, he made his position very clear early on, and if she'd been unhappy with his choice, she never said. They hadn't talked much during their marriage anyway.

No, a child was not something he had ever thought would happen for him again. Kelly had been enough, he told himself, it was as simple as that. Why would he want to potentially put himself through that kind of pain again?

When he first considered marrying Abby, he'd purposefully chosen not to think about the baby and how that would fit in with their life.

Then, when he was present for her ultrasound, Gibbs suddenly realized he wanted to be a father again. Not just any father, but a father to that baby specifically. Abby's baby.

As Gibbs began gently sanding the surfaces of the cradle, he let himself ponder just how important the events of the past few months had become to him. Because, thanks to Abby, he was going to be a father again.

With any luck, he wouldn't screw things up this time.

xxx

Abby rolled over to check the clock on the bedside table. 2:13 A.M. She groaned, trying to remember why she was awake and failing to find a reason, shifted back into the only position she was comfortable in with her giant whale belly and fell back asleep.

An hour later she woke up again but this time, she noticed the tightening of her stomach muscles and an ache in her back. Aches and pains were common these days now that she was lugging around a fully grown baby inside of her, so she didn't think much of it until about six in the morning, when she realized that she'd woken up nearly every hour on the hour, and the tightening of her stomach muscles was now getting more uncomfortable.

"Abbs?" Gibbs was lying beside her, not quite asleep but not quite awake either.

"I think I might be in labor," she said absently, rubbing her stomach and feeling the baby land a solid kick to her ribcage.

Gibbs sat straight up and turned to stare at her. "Excuse me?"

She giggled. "I said, I think I might be in labor."

Gibbs looked panicked, and ran a hand through his hair, making it stick straight up. "So, now what?"

"Now, we wait." Abby made no movements to get up, she was warm and actually feeling comfortable for once. "The contractions are still an hour apart. This could still just be a test run."

"Test run?" Gibbs said, looking at her like she was insane.

Abby nodded. "Test contractions. Remember, I told the midwife I'd been feeling them on and off for the past couple weeks, but they didn't really hurt."

"Do these hurt?"

"I'll let you know when I have another one."

Gibbs took a deep breath. He was trying to remain calm, and she could tell it was just about killing him to not leap out of the bed and start shouting orders at someone. Abby wasn't looking forward to the waiting process much herself, but he looked positively mutinous.

No matter how many times they had talked about it, she knew this was going to be hard on Gibbs. He hated seeing her in pain, and since he hadn't been around for Kelly's birth, this was his first time being there for the whole process.

She was half amused at seeing the 'Great Gibbs' ruffled and half afraid she might not have his shoulder to lean on. She'd come to rely on him so much in the past four and a half months. She didn't think she could do this without him.

Abby's skin started to prickle as Gibbs watched her intensely. "Um, Jethro? When I said they were an hour apart, I meant it. You're going to get really bored if you're waiting for something to happen."

When he didn't do more than incline his head slightly, Abby rolled her eyes and tugged on his arm. "Come on. You don't have to get up for another hour, we might as well try and get some sleep if we can."

Gibbs allowed her to pull him back down onto the bed and tucked her into his side. Abby snuggled into him for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of his chest moving up and down with his breaths. Then she realized how uncomfortable she was with her belly angled upward in that position and rolled over.

"Ugh, I feel like a beached whale," Abby murmured, wiggling around until she felt semi-comfortable. "You better come out soon, kid, or I'm officially issuing an eviction notice."

Gibbs chuckled, curling around her and putting his hand on her tummy. He stroked it a few times, then settled his hand in what seemed to be his favorite sleeping position these days, on the top of her stomach, right under her breasts.

Abby didn't even realize she'd drifted off to sleep until the sun was shining through the bedroom windows and she became aware that Gibbs was no longer next to her.

She glanced over her shoulder and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on his socks. "What time is it?" she asked, blinking sleepily at him.

Gibbs moved to sit closer to her. "Almost eight-thirty. No more contractions?"

"Guess not." She rubbed her eyes. "You heading off to work?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"Nah." Abby very ungracefully heaved her large belly over so she could face him. "Obviously, nothing's happening. You might as well go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go. If I start having contractions again I'll call you. If you stay you'll just be sitting around, watching me like I'm a timer about to go off." Abby grimaced.

"Ya kinda are."

Abby swatted at Gibbs' shoulder. "Out!"

Gibbs leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Yes, ma'am."

xxx

Abby was getting really sick of the phone. If it wasn't Gibbs calling to check on her it was Ziva, or Carol, or McGee, or Tony. If one more person asked her if she was in labor yet she might just murder them. Plus there had been a few wrong numbers or hang-ups and she really wanted to shove the phone down the garbage disposal.

The last call had been Gibbs to tell her he was going to be late coming home. He had been working with the director on something and they wanted to get the paperwork finished because this was going to be his last case with NCIS.

He also wanted to know if she'd still been having contractions. Abby told him the same thing she'd told him every time he'd called that day, that they were still happening, but sporadic and not really painful.

They'd been getting a little painful actually, but they were still more than fifteen minutes apart. She'd called her midwife an hour or so before and she told Abby she'd know for sure when it was the real deal. She recommended Abby drink a big glass of water and put her feet up.

After Abby drank some water, she decided to take a bath. Her feet would be up and it would help her relax.

She wasn't exactly tense, per se, but it was already dark and Gibbs' house made all kinds of creaky noises and she missed him.

Abby was just stepping into the tub when she heard the phone ringing again. Cursing under her breath, she pulled her foot back out of the water and padded into the bedroom naked.

"Hello?" she asked, annoyance radiating out of her. She wanted to ignore the incessant ringing, but if it were Gibbs or someone checking on her they'd likely think the worst if she didn't answer.

"Abigail Gibbs?"

Abby squirmed. The name still felt new even though it had been months since she'd gotten married. "Yes?" At least, it was an actual person on the line this time and not just a hang-up.

"My name is Dr. Allison Barton. I work at the Virginia State Mental Health Facility."

Abby sank down onto the bed. "Is something wrong?" she asked, feeling her heart begin to beat faster.

"Oh no! Of course not. I'm just calling with your monthly progress report."

"Oh." Abby let out her breath. She'd completely forgotten about that. The hospital couldn't give out specifics obviously, but her lawyer had gotten it put into Mikel's sentence that someone from the hospital would make a monthly call to let Abby or Gibbs know whether or not Mikel was following his treatment. "Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind and I completely forgot you would be calling. How is he?"

"Mr. Mawher has been doing excellent Mrs. Gibbs. Everyone has been very impressed with him over the past month. He's participating in all of his group sessions and you'll be happy to know we believe he's been making great strides in his therapy sessions."

Abby gave a small smile. "You're right, I am happy to hear that." And she was.

The doctor talked for another minute, basically telling Abby nothing else but in several other ways, before they hung up.

Abby set the phone onto the counter, where she'd be able to reach it if it rang again while she was in her bath. She stepped into the tub and lowered herself awkwardly down, silently praying that she wouldn't have to call someone to come and haul her out when she was done.

As she sank into the warm water, she let out a sigh of relief. The old clawfoot tub in the upstairs bathroom was just deep enough to cover most of her belly. She almost felt weightless after carrying around all that weight for so long.

There were a lot of things Abby loved about being pregnant. She loved feeling the baby move, knowing that there was this little person growing and living inside her body. She loved how thick and shiny her hair seemed, how long her nails had grown. But she'd also reached the point in her pregnancy where the bad things were starting to outweigh the good.

The hormone relaxin was loosening the ligaments in her joints, which would be good for labor, but it made her hips ache and the heartburn unbearable. Her ankles were constantly swollen and the novelty of having bigger breasts had worn off. They were in the way and they hurt.

Abby took some deep breaths, trying to focus on the soothing effects of the bath and not how much she wanted to get this baby out. Of. Her. Body.

Her thoughts drifted to Mikel. If he continued doing well, it was going to change a lot of things for her and Gibbs. He'd eventually get supervised visitation, maybe joint custody at some point. Gibbs would still be her baby's father, but so would Mikel.

The phone rang again and Abby groaned. She dried her hand off on a towel and picked the cordless phone back up. "Hello?" she asked, holding the earpiece a half inch away so she wouldn't get it wet.

"Hello?" she asked again when there was nothing forthcoming. When another few seconds of silence greeted her she held the phone out and frowned at it.

"Ugh," she muttered, putting the phone back and sinking into her rapidly cooling off bath. That was another thing she was going to look forward to after the baby was born, having a really hot bath.

She wished she'd brought her iPod into the bathroom with her. It was too quiet. Abby hated quiet. As soon as she was old enough to push the buttons she played her radio as loud as it would go, breaking the constant silence that was living in a home with deaf parents.

She let out a groan when she heard yet another ring. Seriously? This had to be a joke.

Abby stared at the phone, unable to decide if she really wanted to answer it. The ring suddenly sounded menacing. She finally just grabbed the receiver. "What?" she nearly shouted.

There was a pause, and she was about to hang the phone up when a female voice said, "Mrs. Gibbs?"

"Yes?" Abby froze. Oops. It was that nice lady from the hospital again.

"Sorry to bother you again, Mrs. Gibbs, but something has come up that we needed to notify you and your husband about."

Suddenly, Abby forgot how to breathe. She didn't even need to listen to the doctor say it, she just knew. All the hang-up calls, the strange sounds outside, it wasn't just in her head.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, and I apologize profusely for not letting you know earlier, but I was just informed Mr. Mawher checked himself out of the hospital this morning."

Abby let the phone drop to the floor as she heard another scratching noise coming from outside.

Don't be ridiculous, she told herself. It's probably nothing. You're just feeling paranoid. And even if it was Mikel, he couldn't possibly get in. The house was locked up tight.

But just in case, she was calling Ziva.

xxx

Ziva and Gibbs were both working in Jenny's office that night. A dead petty officer had been found to be conspiring with a homegrown terrorist group and it had left a backlash of paperwork from various agencies. The two had offered to help the Director sort through it all since they were the ones who knew the case the best.

"Thanks again for staying," Jenny said, handing Gibbs a stack of files. "I know you'd rather be at home with your wife."

Ziva noticed the slight twitch of a smile on Gibbs' lips. She'd noticed that he always did that when someone mentioned Abby being his wife.

At first it had been a little unsettling, but ultimately it was nice. She was happy for her former boss. He had been through much adversity in his life and he deserved to be happy.

Gibbs had told them at the beginning this was going to be the last case he helped NCIS with. Abby was so close to her due date he didn't want to be far from her in case she went into labor.

Actually, he'd said something about being sick of the place, but anyone could read between the lines. He didn't want to leave Abby alone anymore.

Ziva grabbed her cell phone when it vibrated, absently holding it up to her ear while she sorted through a pile of various complaints from Homeland Security. "Hello?"

"Hi, um, Ziva?"

"Abby?" Ziva frowned. Why was Abby calling her?

"I'm probably just being crazy but I keep hearing all these weird noises and getting hang up calls and then someone just called from the hospital and said Mikel checked out this morning and could you just please come over so I don't have to be alone?" Abby's words all rushed out in a single sentence.

"Call McGee," Ziva ordered her. "Call him right now. I am at the Navy Yard with Gibbs but one of us will be there as soon as possible."

"All right."

"Do not wait. Call him right now."

When Ziva hung up the phone both Jenny and Gibbs were both staring at her, obviously waiting for an explanation of some kind.

"Mikel checked himself out of the hospital this morning," she told them.

Gibbs was already grabbing his gun and badge. "Why didn't she call me?" he grumbled, probably more to himself than to her.

"I do not know. But she is frightened and does not want to be alone."

"Should I call the police?" Jenny asked, rising up from her desk.

Gibbs shook his head. "Not yet. Call the judge and Mike's probation officer and let them know. If he goes anywhere near Abby I swear..."

"Jethro," Jenny protested, but he was already out the door.

Ziva and Jenny looked at each other. "I'll call the judge," Jenny said, reaching for her phone.

Ziva nodded. "I will call his probation officer."

They both knew that if Mikel threatened Abby again Gibbs would not hesitate to shoot him.

xxx

McGee narrowed his eyes as the repulsive Orc stood before him. He held onto his sword firmly while still being aware of large beasts behind him in the bushes. The moment had come to prove himself, to show what the Elf Lord was made of.

The Orc raised the axe in his grasp and suddenly rushed the Elf Lord and as McGee held his sword in a position to protect himself a loud ringing from beside his keyboard startled him.

He groaned as the Orc embedded his axe into his characters chest and leaned back in his chair. Crap. He'd been so close.

"Hello?" McGee answered the phone with just a touch of forlorn patheticness in his voice.

"Tim, I need you!"

He shot to his feet at Abby's hysterical voice, already reaching for his keys. "What happened?"

She sniffled. "Someone keeps calling and hanging up and I keep hearing noises outside and he's out, Tim. Mikel got out," she exclaimed.

McGee didn't bother turning out lights or even locking his apartment door as he walked rapidly down the hallway. Heck, if someone had asked him he wasn't even sure he'd closed the door. Abby was not an alarmist, for her to call and sound like that, something was seriously wrong.

"What do you mean he's out?" McGee asked as he climbed into his car and began driving towards Gibbs' house.

"The hospital called," Abby explained. "He checked himself out this morning."

"This morning?" McGee nearly shouted. "Why didn't they notify NCIS the second he walked out that door?"

"I don't know." He could hear Abby crying softly. "I'm really scared, Tim. I locked all the doors and made sure the windows were all shut but if he wants to get in…" her voice trailed off.

"Does Gibbs know?" McGee's mind was whirling with possibilities. If he kept driving at this speed he should be able to get there in fifteen minutes, but a lot could happen in fifteen minutes.

"No." Abby's voice was very small. "I called Ziva and asked her to come over, but she's at the Navy Yard with Gibbs and I guess she thought you were closer. I thought I was just being silly but after I hung up I saw the shadow of someone go past the living room window and I called you."

"It's going to be all right." McGee tried to soothe her, tried to sound more sure than he felt. His stomach was twisted in knots. Abby had to be all right. If something happened to her…even if McGee was able to forgive himself he knew Gibbs never would.

"Maybe it's just the neighbor's dog," Abby suggested.

McGee could tell by her tone that even she didn't believe that. "Maybe it is," he responded, hoping she could find some small reassurance in the possibility, no matter how minuscule.

McGee swerved around traffic and ran a red light. There was no way he was stopping, not with Abby in danger. Gibbs was on his way, of that he had no doubt, but the Navy Yard was more than twenty minutes further away. Even if Gibbs drove eighty miles an hour the whole way he wouldn't get there before McGee.

"I'm going to get there and kick his ass," McGee told her. "I was about to slay a level 6 Orc when you called. One crazy ex-boyfriend will be easy as pie."

He heard a little chuckle over the receiver. "Sorry if I messed up your game."

"You're worth so much more than any game," McGee reminded her. "You know I love you, Abby."

"I love you too, Tim." Abby sniffled again.

"Keep talking to me, Abby," he ordered, pushing the gas pedal just a little harder. "Did you and Gibbs get the nursery set up yet?"

"Almost." Her breathing was slowing a little. "Gibbs hasn't started building a crib yet, but the cradle is in our room. He fixed up Kelly's old cradle for the baby, did I tell you that?"

"You didn't."

"It's really beautiful. And he carved figures for a mobile out of driftwood he picked up on the beach in Mexico."

"That sounds nice." McGee could see the turn to Gibbs' street up ahead. He was so close.

"It's perfect." Abby let out a sob. "I see headlights. Is that you, Tim?"

"Get away from the windows," McGee commanded instinctively. "It is me, Abby, but I want you to stay away from the windows, all right?"

"Abby?" he asked when she didn't respond right away. He slammed on the brakes as he pulled into the driveway, one of his wheels in the front yard. "Abby?"

"Abby can't talk right now," a sinister voice answered. The laugh was unnaturally high pitched.

McGee felt his blood run cold. "Don't you touch her." He grabbed his gun out of the glove compartment and leaped out of the car.

"Don't come any closer."

McGee saw the front door open and Abby's cell phone flew outside, followed momentarily by a terrified Abby herself. He saw the barrel of the gun pressed against her back before he saw Mikel.

"You stay right there!" Mikel shouted. The porch light illuminated the pair, showing Mikel's bloodshot eyes and the tears streaming down Abby's face.

"Let her go, Mikel," McGee ordered him, gun pointed at the crazed man before him.

"She's my girlfriend!" Mikel shouted back. "I'm taking my girlfriend and my baby with me."

Abby squirmed, even as Mikel grasped her upper arm with his free hand. "I'm not your girlfriend!" she yelled. "I'm married to Jethro!"

"I know he forced you!"

McGee watched as Mikel focused his attention on Abby. He took a few small steps towards them, hoping Mikel wouldn't notice.

"Please, Mikel," Abby pleaded, sobbing. "Please. I love him. Please let me go."

"I'm not letting you take my baby away from me." Mikel pushed the gun harder against Abby's back and she squirmed as he began pushing her towards a dark car McGee hadn't noticed until then. "We're going to be a family!"

McGee pointed the gun at Mikel. "She already has a family."

 **A/N:** Um, sorry? It wasn't originally a cliffhanger but the chapter was longer than I'd remembered and I moved the last scene to the next chapter. _*evil laugh*_

See you next week!


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Almost Perfect

**Chapter Eighteen: Almost Perfect**

 **Rule #5- You don't waste good.**

Abby clung to the sound of McGee's voice as Mikel pushed her towards the car. She felt like she'd said a thousand prayers already and surely McGee was the answer to one of them.

Mikel jabbed the gun into her already aching back and shoved her down the porch steps. "Get back!"

"I'm not going to let you take her!" McGee shouted back.

"I'm not giving her up!"

Abby felt her stomach muscles tightening up again, and this time, it really hurt. Bad timing, baby, she thought. There was a flash of lighting and the resulting thunderclap startled her into letting out the scream she'd been holding in.

Tim shot out one of the tires of the car as she screamed. When Mikel took one hand off of her to reach for his gun she squirmed out of his grasp and took off running back towards the house.

Shots rang out as she reached the front door and glanced back. She couldn't see Mikel, but she gasped when she saw the bloodstain spreading on Tim's shoulder.

He'd been shot.

"I'm sorry Tim," she whispered as she slipped into the house, locking the deadbolt behind her. She didn't want to leave him out there alone, but she couldn't risk it, couldn't risk her baby's life.

Instead, she did the one thing she could, which was grabbing the nearest phone and dialing 911.

"I need police and ambulances right now!" she ordered when someone picked up. She'd just heard two more shots from outside. "There's a man with a gun." She gave them the address of the house.

"Okay, ma'am, just stay calm and don't hang up," the operator told her.

"How am I supposed to stay calm?" Abby exclaimed, angrily wiping tears off of her face. "He shot McGee and he tried to kidnap me!"

"Who tried to kidnap you?" the woman asked.

"Mikel," Abby told her. "Mikel Mawher. I have a restraining order against him. I'm sorry I have to go, I need to call Jethro."

"Who's Jethro?" she heard the voice asking as she ended the call.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," Abby repeated as she listened to the phone ring.

"Abby!" Gibbs exclaimed as soon as he answered. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay," she told him quickly. "But he shot McGee and I don't know what else is going on."

"Already on my way, Abbs."

"I know." Abby sniffled. "I'm scared, Jethro. I don't want him to hurt McGee."

"I know, honey."

The endearment gave her a wave of calmness. Gibbs had never called her that before.

Abby heard the screech of tires on the pavement and then, seconds later, a loud crash that sounded close.

Too close.

"Oh my God," she gasped out, running towards the door without thinking.

"Abby?"

She was too busy unlatching the deadbolt and pulling open the door to answer. Several neighbors had exited their houses and were staring at two cars less than a hundred feet away, smashed together and smoking.

"Oh my god, Tim's in there," Abby said without thinking, mostly to herself.

"Abby do not leave that house!" she heard Gibbs shout, but she was already moving towards the wreck. She dropped the phone and ran for McGee's car.

One of their neighbors, a Hispanic man in his twenties, had already pulled the door of McGee's car open. He had his hand on the unconscious man's neck, feeling for a pulse.

"Is he alive?"

The man nodded. "I can feel a pulse. I don't think I can get him out of here, though. It looks like his leg is trapped under the dash."

Abby didn't look, already feeling bile rising in her throat. She couldn't handle this. Tim had to be all right. He had to. He'd saved her life, he couldn't die.

She finally worked up the courage to look at Mikel's car, which was half on top of McGee's Porche Boxter. She knew instantly that he was dead when she saw the unnatural way his head was hanging.

After vomiting in the bushes, Abby heard sirens getting closer. Just seconds before the police, fire trucks, and ambulance arrived a familiar gray truck pulled up and one very angry former marine spilled out of it.

"Abby!" Gibbs shouted, pulling her into his arms tightly as soon as he reached her side. "Are you all right? Don't you ever hang up on me again!"

"I'm fine," Abby said into his shirt, sobbing with relief. "He's dead, Gibbs. Mikel's dead."

He pulled her to arm's length and seemed to note the tears streaming down her face. "Tim?" he asked softly.

"He's alive," she whispered, looking over to where paramedics were already working on McGee in the car. "He's hurt bad, Jethro. Really bad."

"It's gonna be okay." Gibbs pulled her close again, stroking her head with one hand and using the other to hold her as close to him as her swollen belly would allow. "It's over now."

"He saved my life," she managed to say. "He saved our lives."

xxx

Gibbs and Abby followed the ambulance to the hospital where no one would tell them anything and Abby's back began to ache.

They were joined shortly by Jen, Tony, and Ziva, who looked stricken as Gibbs and Abby explained what had happened back at the house.

No one at the nurses station had any news, except that McGee was in triage, so the group settled down reluctantly in the waiting room.

The stark gray walls were peppered with bright floral prints, as if they were trying to make the room more cheerful, but were failing dismally. Abby glared at the pink bouquet directly in front of her. They might as well stop trying so hard, hospitals were horrible places and Abby did not want to be cheered up.

McGee was in here, possibly dying, and it was all because he'd been trying to save her. Abby wrapped her arms around her stomach, blinking back tears. She couldn't be sorry he'd done it, but she also couldn't help feeling guilty he'd done it protecting her.

She was never going to forget what he did for them. Her baby would grow up knowing that he owed his life to Uncle Tim.

Tony and Gibbs were across the room, talking in low voices. Gibbs glanced at Abby and kept his face angled away from her, but Tony likely had forgotten she read lips and didn't take any such precautions.

The police had found a suicide note forged in Abby's handwriting in Mikel's car. The thought, as well as the pain that kept shooting through her stomach, made Abby gasp.

Mikel had planned to kill her. Kill her and her baby. The tears she'd been holding back until now were flowing down her cheeks. When she'd said McGee saved her life she hadn't realized just how literal those words had been.

How had Mikel gotten so sick that he thought killing them had been the right choice? Or even a choice? She wanted to be angrier, but she remembered clearly the conversation she'd had with Mike's mother several weeks before. He had been sick for so long, self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Who knew what that had done to his body, to his brain chemistry? Her heart broke for Mrs. Mawher who had just lost her only son all over again.

She was rubbing her back when Gibbs came over to sit beside her. "You all right?"

"Yeah." Abby wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Just worried about McGee."

Gibbs surely knew she was lying, but he didn't call her on it. "You still having those practice contractions?"

"Um." Abby bit her lip. Gibbs wasn't going to take this well. "Yes and no."

He raised his eyebrows.

"They aren't practice ones anymore," she admitted.

"You're in labor?" Gibbs asked loudly enough for the rest of the room to hear. "When did it start?"

"This morning?" Abby gave him a guilty smile.

Gibbs jumped up and pulled Abby to her feet. "Just when were you planning on telling me?"

"I was gonna wait until we knew if McGee was all right," she told him. "But they're really starting to hurt and I don't know if I can hold out that long."

"You're in labor?" Tony looked panicked. "You need to get to the hospital! Wait, we are at the hospital." He looked confused and a little frantic. If Abby hadn't been so worried about McGee she would have laughed at his expression.

"No, I'm in labor. We have to go home," Abby insisted.

Tony was staring at her like she had two heads. "You do realize most people do this the other way around, right?"

"Not amused, DiNozzo," Abby said through gritted teeth as she felt another contraction began building. "Not amused."

Gibbs had his phone out and Abby hoped he was calling the midwife because if he wasn't she was going to wring his neck. Damn, that one hurt!

"All right." The contraction had finally ended when Gibbs hung up the phone. Abby was taking deep breaths and reminding herself not to murder anyone. "The midwife's going to meet us at the house," he told her softly.

"Out." Ziva waved her hands at them. "Go, have a baby. Tony or I will call as soon as we find out how McGee is doing."

Abby gave Ziva a sudden hug. "Thank you," she said sincerely. The amount of gratitude she was feeling towards all her friends today was overwhelming.

Ziva gave her a soft smile. "Go. Become a mother."

xxx

Gibbs was fairly certain that no man could ever prepare himself for the realities of watching his wife go through labor. It was like nothing he could have imagined.

The midwife showed up not long after they arrived back at the house with two assistants following behind. Somehow he'd expected her to be more hands on, but at Abby's request, she set up her things and hung back while Abby paced the house.

Gibbs stayed with Abby, letting her lean on him when contractions hit. To his amazement, in between them she smiled and cracked jokes.

When the contractions started getting more intense, Abby started clinging to him and letting out low moans. Gibbs held onto her elbows and found himself doing the deep breathing the midwife suggested. How in the world had he let Abby talk him into this here?

He had never felt more useless in his entire life. There was literally nothing for him to do other than be there for her, letting her lean on him more and more as the contractions got closer together, and by the sound of her low grunts, more intense.

But she wanted to keep walking, so walk they did. They made endless loops around the house, pausing for each contraction, then continuing on their way.

It was almost four hours since they'd arrived at the house when Abby announced that she wanted to go upstairs. At Abby's request, the midwife had set up the bedroom for that possibility and Gibbs helped Abby up the stairs and down the hall, stopping for two intense contractions on the way.

The next thing Gibbs knew, He was sitting against the headboard and Abby was tucked between his legs, her back to his front. He supported her body and whispered encouragements in her ear as she pushed and grunted and groaned.

Time began moving slower. Gibbs had known he would hate seeing Abby in pain, but this was so much worse than he'd expected.

"You got this, honey. You're doing fine," he murmured into her ear during one particularly hard contraction.

"You're doing it, Abby," the midwife told her, grinning up from her position between Abby's legs. "I can see a full head of hair."

Abby pushed some more until the contraction abated and she collapsed back against Gibbs' chest, panting heavily.

"Just a couple more pushes and his head will be out," the midwife reassured her. "You can reach down and feel him if you want."

Gibbs wasn't all too sure what he thought about that, but Abby eagerly reached down and seemed to relax when she felt the top of the baby's head.

"You wanna look?" she asked him, tilting her head back with a mischievous grin on her face.

Gibbs still couldn't fathom how she could smile when she was going through all this. "Think I'm good up here," he replied.

The midwife laughed. "You never know how they're gonna react. I've got some dads that can't wait to see and some who act like we just suggested they go kill a kitten."

To Gibbs' relief, another contraction distracted the female mocking and the next thing he knew, the midwife was announcing that the head was out.

Abby let out a groan of relief. "This kid's got a big head," she muttered and the midwife laughed, telling them that all moms said that.

"All right, Dad," the midwife said while she was suctioning out the baby's nose and mouth. "As soon as the shoulders are delivered why don't you reach down here and pull the baby up onto mom's chest."

The expression on his face must have been funny because both the midwife and Abby laughed at him.

"You sure about this," Gibbs asked Abby, who had turned her head to look at him.

Her forehead was glistening with sweat and her face was bright red with exertion. "Go get your son," she told him before another contraction hit and she was pushing again.

His arms still on either side of Abby's body, Gibbs reached forward when the midwife told him to and she guided his hands under the armpits of the squirmy infant. When instructed, he tugged the baby up as he slid out of Abby's body.

"Oh my God," Abby kept repeating, leaning heavily against him and staring down at the squashed and gooey creature Gibbs was cradling against her chest. "Oh my God, I did it! Look Jethro. Look what I did."

Meanwhile, Gibbs was trying to decide which was the most amazing thing he'd just seen, what Abby had done or the red-faced infant currently making tiny mewing sounds at them.

"Isn't he the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Abby asked, glancing up at Gibbs for a second before turning back to her baby.

Gibbs was unconsciously rubbing his hand up and down the baby's back. "He's amazing," he admitted, kissing Abby on the cheek. "You did good, Abbs."

The baby squirmed, and struggled to open his eyes against the new bright lights of his new world. When he finally managed to open them, Gibbs looked into his dark blue eyes.

If he'd thought he'd felt a rush of love when seeing the baby on the ultrasound he hadn't had a clue. The sudden waves of love and pride that rushed over him were shocking in their intensity. Gibbs knew without a single doubt that he loved that baby with every fiber of his being and he would do anything for him.

Gibbs had only felt this love once before, with his daughter Kelly. But somehow it had been different then. It hadn't been instantaneous. Gibbs had been so focused on seeing Shannon and making sure she was all right at first that he hadn't been able to pay the attention he should have when he'd first met his daughter.

The love had come later, a few weeks after he'd gotten home when he looked down at his sleeping daughter in her crib and realized she was the best thing he'd ever done in his life. The guilt at not feeling the way he was supposed to had abated at that moment when he suddenly understood what every parent eventually understood, that this was a love that only your child could evoke in you.

"Does he have a name?" The midwife, whom Gibbs had forgotten was in the room, asked.

Abby stroked the baby's wet hair off of his forehead. "Liam," she murmured. "Liam Timothy Gibbs."

She looked back at Gibbs and he nodded. "Looks like a Liam," he said gruffly.

He didn't have words to express what he was feeling so he poured it all out in a short but passionate kiss. "You're amazing. Both of you."

"I love you." Abby beamed down at their baby.

"Love you too," Gibbs said softly, staring down at Liam. His son. He had a son. He was a father. The one thing he'd never expected to be again.

They both watched as baby Liam turned his head towards his mother and began rooting around and grunting. Gibbs helped Abby pull her tank top off and the baby latched onto her breast without any help at all, making everyone in the room laugh. His happy slurps kept everyone smiling as Liam enjoyed his first meal.

Gibbs didn't pay much attention to the midwife as she helped Abby deliver the placenta and whatever else needed to be done. Instead, he kept his arms firmly wrapped around his new family, unable to tear his eyes away from Liam.

"You want to cut the cord?" the midwife asked him. Gibbs looked up. She was holding out a pair of scissors. He pulled one hand away and accepted them. And as he cut through the rope-like flesh that had fed and supported his son's life for nine months he felt a lump rising in his throat.

They had a son.

xxx

Sawdust flew through the air as Gibbs rubbed sandpaper over the hull of his boat, barely paying attention to what he was doing. His mind too busy swirling with an overload of emotion and thoughts and he was struggling to come to terms with all of it.

Upstairs, the midwife was making sure Abby knew how to breastfeed his son while Tony, who had been summoned from the hospital to meet Liam, huddled uncomfortably in a corner while Abby lectured him on how natural breastfeeding was.

His son. Gibbs thought he'd dealt with all the emotions surrounding him having another child but nothing had prepared him for seeing his baby boy for the first time.

He stopped sanding and leaned his elbows against the wood, taking a deep breath. He was a father. He had a wife and a child upstairs and he'd fled down to his basement to get away from them.

Even with all the joy he felt, it hurt. Hurt more than he'd thought it would. He should have been there when Kelly was born. She shouldn't have died. But if she hadn't, Gibbs wouldn't be here. Liam wouldn't be here. And not regretting the past felt like a betrayal of Shannon and Kelly.

He'd only known Liam for less than two hours and he loved him with a fierceness that smarted right down to his toes.

So much had happened in the past twelve hours. Mikel was dead. Gibbs didn't think he'd ever have been able to let Abby and Liam out of his sight if he didn't know once and for all that Mikel could never touch them.

And then there was McGee. He'd called Ziva briefly before coming down there to let her know that Abby and the baby were all right and she'd told him McGee was still in surgery. Gibbs owed the younger man a debt that could never be paid. McGee had saved Abby's life. Saved Liam's life. And by doing those two things McGee had saved his life too.

Giving Liam the middle name of Timothy seemed like such a minuscule way of thanking him. Gibbs would do anything for the man who had saved his wife and child and vowed to make sure McGee knew that.

If he was all right.

For a brief second, Gibbs wondered if Abby would want to stay married to him now that she and Liam weren't in danger. Before the thought was even fully formed Gibbs let out a chuckle, knowing that Abby would slap him into next week if she ever found out he'd ever thought that.

This marriage had never been as much about protecting Abby as Gibbs thought it did. Somewhere deep down he'd just been rationalizing going after what he wanted. And what he'd wanted was Abby tied to him forever.

"Hey, boss?"

Gibbs looked up to see Tony standing at the top of the basement steps. "Not your boss," he reminded him.

Tony nodded. "Right. Um, Abby's done torturing me so I'm going back to the hospital to wait with Ziva. Also, the midwife is going home and Abby looked like she wants you."

"Be up in a couple minutes," Gibbs replied.

"Liam's great, Gibbs," Tony said. "Congratulations."

Tony disappeared through the doorway and Gibbs took a deep breath, reminding himself that he needed to be upstairs with his wife and son.

When he reached the bedroom, Abby was laying on the bed under a blanket, resting on her side, and staring at Liam who was fast asleep on the bed beside her.

"I can't stop looking at him," she said without changing her gaze. "I know I'm supposed to sleep when he sleeps but he's just so beautiful I can't close my eyes."

Gibbs shucked his jeans and curled up behind her, propping his head up to join in Liam-gazing. "Sent a million pictures to your parents yet?"

"Two million." Abby grinned, eyes still on Liam. "And a few hundred to your dad, who said he can't wait to meet the little guy who's going to drive you nuts in thirteen years."

Gibbs burst out into laughter. "That sounds like him."

"Sami and Mellie admired his hair and Luka said he looks like an old potato." Abby smoothed back the light dusting of dark curls on Liam's head. "I told him you'll head slap him when he comes to visit."

Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against her neck.

"Even though all babies do kind of look like potatoes," Abby continued. "But he's my potato and I say he's gorgeous."

Gibbs began running his fingertips up and down Abby's arm, hoping to soothe her into getting some sleep. It had been a long night for everyone, but especially her, and it wouldn't be long before Liam was demanding his next meal.

"Thank you," Abby whispered as her eyelids were fluttering closed.

"Didn't do anything."

She shook her head. "You did everything," Abby told him. "Everything."

xxx

"Look at his ears!" Abby said the next morning. She traced the tiny curve with one fingertip. "Doesn't he have the most beautiful ears you've ever seen?"

"Sure are, Abbs," Gibbs murmured. They were curled up against the headboard and he had his chin hooked on her shoulder. Liam was laying against her raised knees, watching his parents with an intense expression on his face.

Abby leaned her head against Gibbs' and continued cataloging Liam's perfect little features. She was never going to get tired of just staring at her son. He was so beautiful and she just loved him so much she felt like she was actually going to burst.

"I had no idea," she said softly, watching Liam's entire face scrunch as he yawned. "Everyone told me how much I'd love him and I already did before but I still had no idea what I was going to feel when I saw him."

"Doubt anyone does." Gibbs' voice rumbled against her ear. "Thought I knew; thought I remembered, but he surprised me too."

His words made Abby smile, even as tears filled her eyes. By the time all the excess hormones were out of her body she was going to have cried enough tears to fill a small swimming pool. The only thing as beautiful as the baby in front of her was watching her husband falling in love with him too.

Abby never doubted that Gibbs would love her son. Their son. She'd seen the way he looked when he talked about his daughter and the expression on his face after they'd first seen Liam on the ultrasound. But just as she'd underestimated her own love for her little boy she realized she'd underestimated just how much Gibbs was going to love him too.

"I think he's like a pistachio," Abby murmured, leaning back against Gibbs.

"A pistachio?" Gibbs wondered aloud.

"Yeah." She finally took her eyes off Liam and turned her head to smile at Gibbs. "You can't have just one."

"Abby,"

"I want another one," Abby declared as she watched Liam doze off.

Gibbs let out a chuckle. "Already?" he asked.

"Not right now," Abby clarified, turned her head to look at him. "I have in no way forgotten how much it hurt to get him out. But I'm not done. I want to have a baby with you."

"You just did," Gibbs said, brushing his lips across hers.

"You know what I mean." Abby was not letting him slide on this subject.

Gibbs reached out and wrapped his hand around one of Liam's tiny feet. "We'll talk when this one's walking," he told her. Abby marveled at the way his hand could completely wrap around Liam's foot, making it seem even tinier than it was.

The phone rang, tabling the discussion for now. Gibbs reached over to pick up the landline. "Gibbs."

Abby smirked at his typical gruff phone greeting. Some things would never change.

"Hey, Jack."

Abby's eyes lit up. "Oooh, it's Jackson! Can I talk to him, Jethro? Please?"

He handed the phone to her silently and scooped Liam onto his chest so she could talk easier. She got sidetracked watching him nuzzle Liam's barely there hair with his nose.

"Hello?"

Oops. "Hi Jackson!" she said cheerily. "I can't wait for you to see him. Your grandson is the most beautiful baby in the entire world."

Jackson chuckled. "I'm sure he is, Abby. I'm looking forward to seeing the little fella myself."

"If you don't come and see us soon we'll have to bring him to you," Abby told him. Maybe the oxytocin hadn't completely worn off yet, but she felt ready to jump straight back into life, starting with making sure every member of her family was able to admire Liam in person.

"That's actually what I was calling about."

Abby frowned, sensing something odd in Jackson's voice. "Did something happen?"

He hesitated, breathing into the phone. "There was a little accident at the store," he began but Abby didn't let him finish.

"Are you all right? Do you need us to come?"

Gibbs sat up straight and plucked the phone out of Abby's hands. "What's going on?"

Abby would have been annoyed at the way he'd grabbed the phone away if she hadn't heard the concern in Gibbs' voice. Sure, he and his father had their problems over the years, but it was moments like this that showed just how much they still loved each other.

"The store was broken into?" Gibbs repeated, likely for Abby's benefit. She leaned closer to him so she could catch bits and pieces of what Jackson said.

She heard enough to discern that Jackson had been cleaning up and trying to get shelves put back after the store had been vandalized and had fallen off a ladder. He hadn't fallen far, but he'd broken his arm.

"Tell him we'll be there by the end of the week," Abby said loudly.

Gibbs turned towards her and let the phone fall away from his ear. "Abby, you just had a baby yesterday. You need to rest."

"I can rest in Pennsylvania as well as I can here." Abby crossed her arms, trying not to wince at the soreness in her chest because she was trying to make a point here. "He can't take care of the store with a broken arm. He needs us, Gibbs."

Gibbs looked at her but she narrowed her eyes, refusing to let him intimidate her. Finally, he sighed and returned the phone to his ear. "My wife tells me I'm coming down to help out. She's going to be resting at the house," he said pointedly, and Abby beamed. "Better tell the doc he's gonna be giving another Gibbs boy his shots in a few weeks."

Now that she'd made her point, Abby slid down in the bed and curled up on her side, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the past few days starting to catch up to her. Last night she'd been busy either feeding Liam or figuring out how to feed him, in between sessions of gazing at him of course.

She smiled to herself, looking forward to recuperating in Stillwater until she and Liam were both healthy enough to go back to Mexico. It was a good excuse to spend some time with Jackson.

When Gibbs hung up the phone, Abby was already half asleep. She felt him get up to put the baby back down beside her, checking to make sure the blankets and pillows weren't too close to the baby and then the dip of the mattress when he climbed onto the bed beside her.

"Think I might want another one too," Abby heard Gibbs whisper when she was almost asleep. The smile that spread across her face matched the blissful feeling in her heart.

 **A/N:** Decided the last scene worked better as an epilogue, which I'll go post right now.


	19. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

 **Abby's Rule #6: Don't leave things unsaid.**

Abby held the baby tightly in one arm as she entered the room. Her free hand moved up to cover her face when she caught sight of McGee. "Oh Timmy," she whispered, trying very hard not to cry.

It had been almost a week since the accident and Liam's birth. Her midwife had finally cleared her for travel and she insisted on coming to see McGee before leaving for Stillwater.

Ziva, who was sitting in a chair by McGee's side, stood up. "The doctor thinks he is going to be all right. She said that his injuries look worse than they actually are."

Abby took a hesitant step forward. "Has he woken up yet?"

"No." Ziva shook her head. "They are still keeping him sedated for the time being so he does not try and pull the breathing tube out."

Abby bit her lip, glancing downward at the sleeping infant in her arms. People kept telling her this wasn't her fault, but she knew she had caused it.

Ziva cleared her throat. "I will," she paused, "leave you two alone for some privacy." She gave Abby's shoulder a reassuring pat on her way out.

Abby made her way slowly to the bed where McGee lay. "Hey," she said softly. "Sorry I didn't come sooner, but uh, I was busy." She lifted the baby slightly.

"We named him Liam Timothy." Abby forced herself to sit down in the vinyl chair Ziva had vacated. "I didn't plan on it, but you kinda saved our lives. I wanted to make sure he'd always know the name of the man who risked his life to save us."

The steady beep of the machines should have reassured Abby, but instead, they only brought up dread. "I'm so sorry, Tim," she whispered furtively. "This is all my fault, I know it is. I should wish that I could change things, but I don't. If you hadn't done what you did…"

She took a deep breath. "It was important. You are important. I wish I could stick around to see you get better, but Gibbs and I have to go stay with his father for awhile because he broke his arm."

She smiled through her tears. "The store got vandalized and he was too stubborn to ask for help. He fell off a ladder trying to hang some shelves, so we're going back to take care of him and help out at the store for awhile."

Liam started to squirm and fuss. Abby glanced at the clock and realized he was probably hungry again. She had her shirt up and her breast whipped out before she even thought about it. It wasn't until Liam was settled, enjoying his meal with little grunting noises that she glanced up and giggled.

"It's a good thing you're unconscious," she said. "If you were awake you'd be blushing like crazy. Heck, you'll probably blush when I tell you the story later. But then I'll tell you how badly Tony freaked out and you'll feel better."

She glanced down at her son, whose eyes were only half open as he suckled contentedly. "I still wish you were awake," she told McGee as she stared at her son, "even if you'd be completely scandalized by me breastfeeding in front of you. Would kinda be fun to see your reaction."

She scooted the chair a little closer, taking care not to disturb the baby. She slid her free hand across the covers to gently slide underneath McGee's hand. With the multiple IVs and wires attached to him, she was afraid to do more than just rest her fingers against his and stroke her thumb across his fingertips.

"I'm gonna make Ziva promise to keep me updated on your condition. I wanna make sure you're getting better and you have the best doctors, okay? Like I said, you're important to me, Timmy." She continued to 'hold' his hand until Liam needed her attention.

Abby detached Liam and patted him on the back until he let out a surprisingly loud burp. She smiled. "I know, crazy loud, right? He's going to be a champion burper when he gets older."

She wiped a tiny bit of milk and drool off Liam's chin with her finger and got him settled onto her other breast. "I thought this would be weirder," she told McGee, deciding even if he could hear her that he wouldn't remember the conversation anyway. "But it really isn't. After the first couple of days, it just feels… right. Natural, the way it's supposed to I guess."

She sighed. "I know I already said it, but I wish I could stay and help take care of you. But, of course, I've got Liam." She chuckled a little. "And Jackson, apparently. But Ziva is going to make sure you're taken care of. I know you don't really get along with your dad, but you could still ask your parents for help. That doesn't make you weak.

"We'll come back to visit soon, I promise," Abby told him, wishing that she could just see him open his eyes, even just for a second.

He looked so pale, so small. Between the breathing tube, the feeding tube, and the chest tube they had in for drainage, it looked pretty frightening. Even knowing what it was all for didn't stop it from being scary, it just made it necessary.

"Having the baby doesn't stop all the crazy hormones," she muttered, wiping a tear away with her free hand. "In fact, I'm pretty sure it only makes it worse. I didn't want you to see me cry. I know you can't see me, but I still didn't want to."

She took a deep breath, taking notice that Liam was falling back asleep as he nursed. "He's a good baby," she told McGee as she watched her son doze. "Pretty much just eats, sleeps, and poops. He doesn't seem to cry much, not if we keep him fed and dry."

"You should see Jethro with him. He's a diaper changing expert. Jethro's taking good care of us, so you don't ever have to worry about that." Abby lifted Liam onto her shoulder and adjusted her clothing. "I should probably get going before he needs a diaper change. If there's anything that could bring you to consciousness, let me assure you it's the odors that come out of this tiny baby."

She heard a chuckle from the doorway and turned. "Jethro's here so I really do have to go. I'm sure Ziva will be back soon, okay?" Her hand on Liam's back, Abby stood up and leaned over until she could press a feather light kiss to McGee's cheek.

Then, with all the strength she could muster, Abby straightened and walked out of the room, straight into Gibbs' arms. She sobbed for several minutes and didn't even notice when Ziva took Liam out of her arms so Gibbs could hold her tighter. When she finally managed to compose herself, Gibbs had a damp spot on his shirt that made her smile. "Sorry," she whispered, looking up at him.

"It'll dry," he said simply. "You ready to go?"

Abby nodded, turning to Ziva. "I didn't even realize you had him," she murmured, taking Liam back and feeling slightly disturbed at her lack of awareness.

"He is lucky to have so many people who love him," Ziva told her, making her realize one of those people was standing right in front of her. Little Liam was breaking hearts already.

As Gibbs put his arm around her shoulder and led her away, Abby knew one thing for sure: Going to Mexico after Gibbs had been the best thing that she'd ever done.

"Oh!" Abby stopped a few feet down the hallway, handing Liam over to Gibbs and grabbing a book out of her bag. She dashed back to Ziva. "I almost forgot. This is for you."

Ziva stared down at the book in her hands as Abby returned to Gibbs and the two disappeared around a corner.

 _Deep Six: The Continuing Adventures of L.J. Tibbs_ by Thom E. Gemcity.

Hmm.

A/N: Well, that's it! Three years of work and this puppy is complete! I do have a first draft for the sequel, entitled "Not Broken, Just Bent", which focuses on McGee's recovery and his growing relationship with Ziva. Let me know if you're interested in reading that, as I haven't yet decided what my next fanfic focus is going to be.

A very special thank you to each and every one of my readers, those who followed along silently, those who reviewed, left kudos, and especially to those who waited patiently while I dealt with moving houses. This has been an amazing ride and I hope you'll all join me on my next adventure!


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